Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is going in the wrong direction, according to 65 percent of respondents, while only 14 percent think the opposite, stated the published research of the International Republican Institute (IRI) on the opinion of citizens from the Western Balkans on political topics, in the part that refers to BiH.
The number of those who believe that BiH is going in the right direction is lower compared to last year, when the percentage was 21 percent.
The biggest problems detected were high prices and cost of living, corruption, the political situation, unemployment, and security, the media reported.
Answering the question about the likelihood of armed conflict in BiH, five percent of respondents said it is very likely, 18 percent said it is somewhat likely, 35 percent said it is somewhat unlikely, while 37 percent of those surveyed believe it is very unlikely that war will occur.
The research showed that there are more people in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), five percent, who believe it is very likely that war will occur, compared to Republika Srpska (RS), three percent, and by ethnic groups, Bosniaks believe the most (five percent of those surveyed) that there could be another war, a somewhat smaller percentage of Serbs believe this, while Croats think that the chances of another war breaking out in BiH are small.
The main reason why armed conflicts could occur is political and economic instability (43 percent), followed by ethnic tensions (39 percent), destabilization by neighbors (32 percent), and the interests of political leaders (24 percent).
According to the research, 20 percent of respondents believe it is very likely that the international community would intervene in case of war, 40 percent believe it is somewhat possible, and only six percent think it is impossible for the international community to intervene.
On the state of security in BiH, six percent of respondents consider it very satisfactory, 44 percent somewhat satisfactory, 33 percent somewhat unsatisfactory, and 14 percent believe it is very unsatisfactory.
The most important ally of BiH, according to respondents, is Turkey with 16 percent, Serbia and the European Union (EU) with 15 percent each, Russia with 11 percent, and Germany and Croatia with 10 percent each.
Respondents believe to a somewhat lesser extent that the United States (U.S.), China, Austria, and the United Kingdom (UK) are important allies of BiH.
Turkey is considered the most important ally of BiH by 25 percent of respondents in the FBiH, and only three percent in RS.
Serbia is considered the most important ally by 38 percent of respondents in RS, and only one percent in the FBiH.
Trust in the EU is at the same level among citizens of both entities, the research stated.
By nationality, most Bosniaks trust Turkey (31 percent), most Serbs trust Serbia (46 percent), and most Croats trust Croatia (52 percent).
After Turkey, Bosniaks trust the EU and Germany the most, Serbs, besides Serbia, also trust Russia, and somewhat the EU and China, while Croats, besides Croatia, also trust the EU, and somewhat Germany.
The countries citizens see as the greatest threat to BiH are Serbia (28 percent), U.S. (18 percent), Russia (16 percent), then to a lesser extent the EU (four percent), the UK and Germany (three percent each), Croatia and Albania (two percent each), and Hungary and France (one percent each).
A total of ten percent of those surveyed believe that no country is a threat to BiH.
The difference in responses is noticeable between the entities: 42 percent of people in the FBiH believe that Serbia is the greatest threat, while the U.S. is seen as the greatest threat, mostly by respondents from RS.
By nationality, Serbia is seen as the greatest threat to BiH by 42 percent of Bosniaks, 40 percent of Croats, and less than one percent of Serbs.
The U.S. is seen as the greatest threat by nine percent of Bosniaks, 42 percent of Serbs, and one percent of Croats.
Russia is seen as the greatest threat by 23 percent of Bosniaks, 28 percent of Croats, and one percent of Serbs.
Only 17 percent of respondents believe that current political leaders are doing well, while 76 percent believe different leaders are needed.
The largest number, 45 percent of those surveyed, believe it would be good for current politicians to be replaced by experts not connected to politics, 39 percent want to see businessmen who have achieved success outside politics in political positions, and 12 percent of respondents want activists at the head of the state.
Only one percent of respondents gave the Council of Ministers of BiH the best rating – very good, 12 percent consider this institution somewhat good, 35 percent rated its work as somewhat bad, while as many as 49 percent stated that the Council of Ministers of BiH is doing very badly.
Only one percent of respondents gave the Government of the FBiH the best rating, while as many as 50 percent of those surveyed rated the work of that entity government as very bad.
Nine percent of respondents gave the Government of the RS the best rating, and 38 percent the worst.
In the territory of BiH, 1.219 respondents were surveyed, and the research was conducted by the agency Ipsos from May 16th to July 7th of this year.
