73% of voters firmly believe that voters’ education is instrumental for more involvement of citizens in the electoral processes, according to a UNDP survey

The survey was commissioned by UNDP Moldova to the Centre of Sociological Analysis and Investigations CIVIS and was conducted during August – September 2021. 1501 respondents participated in the survey. The research presents the results of the data collected for the Parliamentary Elections conducted in July 2021. These data are compared to the results of the general population survey conducted for the 2020 Presidential Elections and for the 2019 Parliamentary and Local Elections.

96% of respondents are satisfied with how the voting process was managed on Parliamentary Elections Day, during COVID-19 pandemic. 92% of respondents claim they felt safe in terms of not being at-risk of contracting the novel coronavirus if they participated in elections. As compared to the 2020 Presidential Elections, there was a 15%-increase in the share of voters who felt safe. According to the respondents, all anti-pandemic rules adopted for the Elections Day were observed in almost all cases, except for the use of a personal pen.

Likewise, the majority (over 90%) of those who voted were content with the electoral process management. As many as 35% of respondents (2% more relative to the previous Survey) would like to get involved in the electoral process as observers, volunteers, and polling officials.

40% of respondents learned or witnessed irregularities during the 2021 electoral period, in particular electoral gifts (money, foodstuff, etc.). 8% of voters reported cases of persuasion at work to vote for a specific candidate.

The survey highlights some deficiencies, such as the lack of wheelchair access ramps at the majority of polling stations established for the Parliamentary Elections. Only 35% of voters confirmed that wheelchair access ramps were in place. Nonetheless, their share increased by 12% compared to the first survey (the 2019 Parliamentary Elections).

Only 10% of respondents named correctly all the documents based on which one can vote within the country. Only 17% of voters believe the financing of political parties or of electoral candidates and campaigns is rather transparent.

The share of voters who know about the possibility to check their personal data in the voter’s lists on the CEC web page (www.cec.md) increased by 12% as compared to the previous survey, making up 62%. 29% of respondents (3% less in comparison with the previous survey) know that they can check the voter’s lists at the polling stations as well.

The research was conducted on the basis of a nationally representative sample, covering both rural and urban areas. The target group included the population with the right to vote aged 18 years and over, residing in 314 localities across the country. 70% of questionnaires were developed in Romanian, and 30% in Russian. The sampling error is ± 2.6%.

The 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 of the American people, provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The opinions expressed in the survey belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the UNDP, the financing institution or the Government of the Republic of Moldova.