Almost half of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina – 40.6 percent – seriously thought about leaving the country, while 63.5 percent consider that living conditions are worse today than five years ago. This is reflected in public opinion data presented by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Under the Magnifying Glass”.
Around 62.1 percent of young respondents seriously thought about leaving, while 7.2 percent of older citizens gave the same answer.
The PR manager of the Coalition “Under the Magnifying Glass,” Hasan Kamenjaković, said that the generational gap indicates a loss of perspective among the youth and represents a serious risk to the country’s long-term social and economic development.
The research results show that citizens singled out crime and corruption as major issues, as stated by 30.2 percent of respondents, the poor state of the economy at 16.8 percent, and an unfavorable political situation at 14.9 percent.
Other issues included low salaries and pensions, unemployment, inflation, emigration, the state of the healthcare system, nationalism, nepotism, institutions’ inefficiency, poor infrastructure, and the educational system.
When it comes to aspects crucial for everyday life, citizens placed the healthcare system first at 26.2 percent, low salaries and pensions at 22.5 percent, and security at 19.8 percent.
Kamenjaković stated that citizens prioritized improvement of the economic situation two years ago, and now the healthcare system is their top priority.
The research also showed the further decline of trust in institutions and other social actors. Almost a third of respondents- 29.7 percent- said they have no trust in anyone.
Family trust dropped from 24.7 percent in 2024 to 8.5 percent in 2026, while 6.5 percent identified the police as an actor they trust. A total of 3.3 percent of the respondents cited the healthcare system.
The PR of the Coalition “Under the Magnifying Glass,” Dario Jovanović, said that citizens’ decrease in trust in all institutions of the government in Bosnia and Herzegovina is evident.
When asked whose interests authorities mostly serve, 25.4 percent of respondents said they don’t serve at all, while 20.9 percent said they serve their own interests.
The citizens graded the work of government institutions with a barely passing grade of two – a 10 to 30 decline compared to the 2024 survey.
Mayors and municipal heads received the highest average rating at 2.45, though this also marked a drop from the 3.10 rating recorded two years ago.
More than two-thirds of citizens believe Bosnia and Herzegovina is headed in the wrong direction. This is the attitude of 75 percent of respondents in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 60 percent in Republika Srpska.
At the same time, almost seven out of ten citizens believe that Bosnia and Herzegovina should become a member of the European Union. The membership is supported by 77.65 percent of respondents in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and by 52.79 percent in Republika Srpska.
Overall, 57.1 percent of respondents support Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to NATO; however, opinion is sharply divided by entity: support stands at 83 percent in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, compared to just 17 percent in Republika Srpska.
Jovanović noted that backing for European and international integration remains one of the few stable, positive trends that could foster broader social consensus and drive future reforms.
The study was commissioned by the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Under the Magnifying Glass,” funded by the Centers for Civic Initiatives for the Coalition “Under the Magnifying Glass”, and conducted by the market and public opinion research agency Metrix from Banja Luka.
The telephone survey was conducted from May 14 to 25, 2026, on a sample of 1,000 adult respondents from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent, with a 96 percent confidence level. The results of the phone survey are not presented as the position of any specific social group.
