The state of the economy and the impact of Covid-19 remain at the forefront of citizens’ concerns, the poll conducted by the National-Democratic Institute (NDI) reads.

A quarter of the population reports either losing their job (13 percent) or experiencing salary/income reduction (12 percent) since the start of the pandemic, while a plurality said they remain unemployed. Georgians in the retail, construction, transport, and restaurant sectors were most affected by the pandemic.

The public is split when assessing the government’s economic response to the pandemic. Fifty percent of surveyed assess the government’s economic plan as effective, and half of those who received financial assistance report it as being sufficient.

The results reflect data collected between February 17-24, through telephone interviews with a nationwide representative sample of Georgia’s adult population, excluding occupied territories, that included 2,024 completed interviews.

The average margin of error is +/- 1.4 percent. Respondents were selected using the random-digit-dial method.

NDI’s survey work is funded by UK aid. The CRRC Georgia carried out the poll.