June 2 (SeeNews) - Citizens of Bosnia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia feel enthusiastic about stronger ties with the EU but remain split on economic and political relations with the U.S., a poll by U.S.-based non-profit organisation International Republican Institute (IRI) showed on Tuesday.
"Despite China and Russia’s best efforts to exert influence in the Western Balkans, this poll shows that many in the region see their interests as lying with the West," IRI's regional director for Europe, Paul McCarthy, said in a statement.
According to the survey conducted by IRI's Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR), when asked which their most important foreign economic partners are, some 94% of those polled in Kosovo cited the U.S. versus just 13% in Serbia sharing the same sentiment.
At the same time, some 73% in Serbia pointed to Russia and 71% to China, while in Kosovo, Germany was very close to the U.S. with 92% support.
In Bosnia, only 24% said the U.S. is the country's most important economic partner, while 51% pointed to Germany and 40% to Turkey.
In North Macedonia, 47% chose the US versus 64% for Germany and 57% for Turkey. In Montenegro, the popularity of the US was at 41%, lagging behind China's 50% and Germany's 47%.
Along the same lines, majorities in Kosovo, North Macedonia and half of Montenegrins consider the U.S. among their countries' most important political partners, while in Bosnia and Serbia the share of people who believe so is lower, at 29% and 15%, respectively.
As far as EU membership enthusiasm is concerned, 93% of respondents in Kosovo support accession, as well as 76% in Bosnia, 74% in North Macedonia, 63% in Montenegro and 50% in Serbia.
"Despite these positive findings, concern about disinformation was also evident across the five countries surveyed, indicating that false narratives frequently pushed by malign actors are a continuing problem in the Western Balkans," the report said.
The survey, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was conducted on behalf of CISR by marketing agency Ipsos Bosnia and Herzegovina between February 2 and March 6. The data was collected through in-home, in-person interviews, with response rates ranging from 50% to 85% in the selected countries. The margin of error ranges from 2.5 to 3.2 points.