Since June 1, Tirana has lost its calm. An event in Zvërnec, where a luxury resort is planned with links reaching as far as the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, served as a catalyst for a wave of protests that initially mobilised young people and later gained broad support.
Over time, it became clear that the event was merely the spark that ignited long-accumulated anger over the way the country is being governed.
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To examine the motives that drove so many people into the streets, the newspaper “Monitor” conducted a survey on its website, using the ERC mechanism (“Engaged Citizens Reporting” – a secure digital platform designed to bring the media closer to citizens).
The questionnaire remained active for five days and was completed by 1,114 individuals, recording the highest level of participation in this tool since “Monitor” launched it. By comparison, the previous survey that generated the greatest interest, on emigration, had collected 1,044 responses, demonstrating that such issues are highly sensitive for the newspaper’s readers.
It should be stressed that the sample is not representative of the entire Albanian population. Participants were not selected randomly and responses were voluntary, meaning that those with stronger views or a direct interest were more likely to take part. Moreover, “Monitor’s” readership consists to a considerable extent of economists, self-employed professionals, businesspeople, bank employees, information technology experts and other urban, educated profiles; therefore, the conclusions cannot be extended to society as a whole.
Nevertheless, the questionnaire is important as a barometer of perceptions among an active and engaged segment of the public, notably people with higher and postgraduate education who “seek to be heard”.
It serves to identify the factors motivating support for or opposition to the rallies, the concerns most frequently encountered, and the intensity with which these issues are experienced by the “Monitor” community.
The data should not be interpreted as an electoral forecast or as a statistical snapshot of society as a whole, but as a clear indicator of the state of opinion within a group with heightened interest in economic, social and political issues.
How the middle class sees the situation
The survey serves as a gauge of the attitudes of an active and engaged section of citizens, dominated by individuals with university and postgraduate education. It helps identify the reasons underpinning support for or opposition to the protests, the concerns that recur most frequently and the intensity with which these developments are felt by “Monitor’s” audience. The strong support given to the movement by this very group and by those aged 30-59 signals that it is above all the working-age segment of the population, which bears the burden of contributing to state coffers, that is disappointed.
The responses collected show that the reasons for supporting the protests go beyond the economic sphere and focus on concerns about how the country is administered.
Corruption tops the list of reasons why respondents voted “Yes” in favour of the protests, selected by 722 people (participants could choose up to three options). The second most common reason is poor governance and lack of accountability, with 530 votes, followed by the lack of justice and impunity for offenders, with 342 responses.
Protection of the public interest (education, healthcare, the environment and shared spaces) ranks fourth. Lack of hope for the future is the fifth argument. Poverty and the rising cost of living are the sixth reason driving respondents to support the rallies.
One commenter, A.A., says people are protesting over the country’s thousands of problems: deep poverty, hospitals without services, lack of justice, the degradation of education, the destruction of natural resources, rivers that are drying up, and jobs in the public administration being obtained only through payment, regardless of ability. E.T. adds that meritocracy does not exist, there is no oversight of how funds are used, and the government does not take citizens’ opinions into account.
About 16.9% of respondents believe the protests should continue, but with a clearly defined platform of demands, while 79% replied that they should simply continue. Combining these two groups, an absolute majority—95.9% of participants—are convinced that the rallies should not stop.
Only 3.7% are opposed to the continuation of the protests.
