Most Respondents (37%) Are Vaguely Aware of Serbia’s Anti-Government Protests

In Serbia, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Belgrade, expressing discontent and outrage over the government’s handling of recent mass shootings and its alleged failure to address the promotion of violence in society.

Serbia’s anti-government protests, which call for reform and the resignation of important government figures, draw attention to worries about the normalization of violence through media outlets.

The tragic incidents of school and mass shootings have fueled public demands for immediate action against violence. While the government initiated an earlier start to summer holidays as a response, protesters consider it insufficient and call for more comprehensive measures.

As the situation unfolds, President Vucic denies allegations of government inaction and encourages addressing grievances through democratic means. Serbia’s anti-government protests shed light on a pressing issue that has sparked public debate and prompted online surveys like the one conducted by Real Research.

Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on Serbia’s anti-government protests to gauge public opinion about the violence in Serbia.

Highlights:

• Serbian reality TV shows featuring criminals and violence may be fuelling violence in Serbia, with 42% of respondents recognizing the potential impact.
• Protesters demand government resignations over a culture of violence; 46% support.
• 34% support new media policies to curb Serbia’s culture of violence.

On June 3, a significant number of individuals gathered for anti-government protests in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade. The demonstrations were reportedly sparked by two mass shootings that resulted in multiple fatalities, including children.

Serbia’s anti-government protests accused the government of promoting a culture of violence and fostering an environment of hopelessness and division through state media outlets.

According to the survey conducted, a significant portion of the respondents seemed vaguely aware of the situation (37%), while 33% were well aware, and 31% were unaware.

Recent Serbian reality TV shows have featured convicted criminals and shown men beating women. We asked our respondents whether this fueled the culture of violence in Serbia. The results revealed that 42% said possibly, 31% said definitely, 20% said possibly not, and 6% said definitely not.

Next, the survey asked the respondents what they thought about the opinion of protestors who demanded TV channels’ licenses be revoked for broadcasting violent content and a ban on pro-government. The results indicated that 29% believed the demands are somewhat valid and the ban should probably be implemented.

Furthermore, 28% said the demands are completely valid and the ban should be implemented, 22% said they are somewhat invalid and the ban should not be implemented, and 21% said they are completely invalid and the bans should not be implemented.

Allegations of Government-Induced Culture of Violence Spark Protests in Belgrade, Serbia

The protestors believed that the ruling government and media fanned a culture of violence in Serbia. They accused the government of using state-controlled media to promote violence and hatred, and of creating an atmosphere of hopelessness and division in the country.

When we asked our respondents about their stance on this, 39% said somewhat likely, 27% said highly likely, 24% said somewhat unlikely, and 9% said highly unlikely.

Moreover, the protestors accused the government of a culture of violence and demanded the resignation of both the interior minister and the head of the national intelligence agency. Similarly, we inquired our respondents about their opinion on this.

46% of the respondents somewhat agreed and 40% completely agreed. On the other hand, 12% somewhat disagreed and 2% completely disagreed.

Serbian President Dismisses Protests as “Political” and Alleges Foreign Interference

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed the protests against his government as “political” and alleged that they were being funded by foreign countries. Vučić, who has been in power since 2012, has denied the allegations of foreign interference and said that the protests are being driven by opposition parties and disgruntled citizens.

He has also accused the protesters of being violent and of trying to destabilize the country. According to our next survey poll, 46% of the respondents somewhat agreed with Vučić’s decision, followed by 31% who completely agreed, 17% who somewhat disagreed, and 7% who completely disagreed.

Lastly, the survey asked the respondents how Serbia can curb its culture of violence. 34% said by implementing new media policies for broadcasting crime-related reports, 26% said by implementing stricter punishments for perpetrators, and 22% said by educating on conflict resolution and promoting non-violence.

Furthermore, 9% said by investing in youth empowerment initiatives and another 9% said by improving law enforcement efforts and justice.