Politbarometer
"Politbarometer" is a regular monthly telephone poll,
which has included also questions about Slovenia's membership in NATO
since 1996. The poll covers 900 to 1,000 adult citizens, who are
interviewed by trained interviewers over the phone.
The question - "Do you agree with the endeavours of the
Republic of Slovenia to become a NATO member?" - was posed since
1996 every few months. In 1997, when the pollsters
started putting this question to the public more frequently, the level
of support was around 62%. However, after the NATO Summit in Madrid in
July of that year, it fell to 55.4 percent. In years 1998, 1999 and 2000, it has been between
50 and 55%.
In 2001, this
question was included in the poll every month. The percentage of those
who gave a positive response was, on average, between 50 and 55
percent - occasionally slipping below 50%, but always remaining very
close to this number.
In March 2002
interviewers of the Politbarometer public opinion poll for the first
time asked the respondents what their reply would be at a hypothetical
referendum on Slovenia's joining NATO. The results in 2002 oscillated much in
relation to current events and reflect wider socio-political
developments that influence views on NATO membership.
Since March 2003, the
attitude towards NATO is included into the scope of questions
measuring public trust in various institutions. These measurements are
thus becoming a part of the longitudinal Politbarometer strategy for
exploring the pattern and expression of Slovenian public opinion
towards international institutions and integration. The levels of
trust in relation to the UN, EU and NATO indicate how the general
public feels about these institutions.
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