98% of voters are convinced that it is important to participate in elections

March 17, 2021

According to the survey conducted after the 2020 presidential elections, most voters (98%) are convinced that it is important that every citizen participates in elections. However, only 69% of respondents acknowledged they participated in all elections. 80% of them (representing a 31% increase in comparison with the previous survey conducted after the 2019 parliamentary elections) say that their decision to go out and vote cannot be influenced by other persons. 15% say they may be persuaded only by family members and friends.

The survey was commissioned by UNDP Moldova and conducted by the Centre of Sociological Analysis and Investigations CIVIS, during 11 December 2020 – 20 January 2021. 1510 respondents participated in the survey. The study presents the outcomes of the data collected for the presidential elections held on 1 and 15 November 2020. The data are compared with the results of the survey of general population for parliamentary elections held on 24 February 2019 and the survey for local elections held on 20 October 2019.

The study reveals that 97% of respondents are satisfied with the way the voting process was managed on the presidential elections’ day, in conditions of pandemic. 92% noted they felt safe and were confident they would not contract COVID-19 virus while participating in elections. According to the respondents, the protection measures throughout the process of voting were respected in almost all cases, except for using own pens.

Hence, the majority of those who voted were satisfied with how the electoral process was organised. 33% of respondents would like to get involved in the electoral process mainly as observers, volunteers, and polling officials. 88% of respondents (with 8% more, compared to the previous study) claim that civic/electoral education is essential, while 84% (with 13% more as compared to the previous study) are confident it may contribute to more engagement of citizens in elections.

The level of interest in the country socio-political life increased considerably, compared to the previous surveys (6.8 points vs. 5.5 points), which can be rated as higher level of interest.

At the same time, 4% of respondents noticed irregularities during elections day (less by 5% compared to the previous study). Likewise, 41% of voters spoke up to report the observed irregularities (twice as much in comparison with the parliamentary elections held in February 2019).

The study highlights some systematic deficiencies, namely that most polling stations open for the 2020 presidential elections were not endowed with access ramps. Only 33% of voters confirmed that access ramps were in place. However, the situation improved by 10%, compared to the previous study. Likewise, only 12% of respondents are well acquainted with all documents based on which they can vote. 50% of respondents (less by 8%) are aware of the possibility to verify their personal data in the voters’ lists at the polling stations and 32% (with 5% more) are aware they may perform this operation on CEC website.

The study was based on a survey representative at national level, covering both rural and urban areas. The target-groups included the population with voting rights above 18 years, residing in 480 localities. 74% of questionnaires were in Romanian and 26% in Russian. The margin of error is ± 2.5%.

The opinion survey was conducted in the framework of the “Enhancing democracy in Moldova through inclusive and transparent elections” project, implemented by UNDP Moldova, with the financial support from the American people provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).