Balkan Barometer

Balkan Barometer 2025 Public Opinion

Key Findings

Rising Prices and Inflation Remain the Top Public Concern

In 2025, rising prices and inflation continue to top the list of public concerns, cited by 66% of respondents, up slightly from 64% in 2024¹. The general economic situation remains the second most frequently mentioned issue at 44%, marking a gradual decline from 45% in 2024 and 47% in 2023. Corruption is still seen as a key challenge, identified by 35% of citizens in 2025, compared to 36% in 2024 and 27% in 2023.

	Percent
Figure 1. Top 3 Key Issues Facing the Economy of the Respondents
Rising prices inflation/ cost of living	66
Economic situation in general	44
Corruption	35
Political instability	29
Unemployment	25
Brain drain / Emigration	22
Quaility of health care	17
Security situation	15
Quaility of education	10
Environment and climate change (floods, droughts etc.)	4
Gender inequality	3
Other	1

Regional Cooperation Viewed as Key to Wellbeing and Stability

Citizens across the Western Balkans Six (WB6) continue to view regional cooperation as a powerful driver of progress. A clear majority perceive positive contributions to the economy (average score 3.7 out of 5; 64% in agreement), while similarly favourable views extend to overall wellbeing and security (both 3.6), as well as politics (3.5; 54% agree).

	Totally disagree	Tend to disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to agree	Totally agree	DNK/DA	Mean
Figure 2. Regional cooperation in the WB6 can contribute to better Economic, Political, and Security Situation, and Overall Wellbeing
Economic situation	3	9	21	46	18	2	3,7
Political situation	5	12	24	39	16	3	3,5
Security situation	4	10	24	42	18	2	3,6
Overall wellbeing	3	9	27	42	17	2	3,6

The latest Barometer shows that almost half of respondents across the WB6 now place greater emphasis on what unites the region than on what sets it apart, while only around 14% focus more on divisions and roughly one-third remain neutral.

	Totally disagree	Tend to disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Tend to agree	Totally agree	DNK/DA	Mean
Figure 3. What brings WB6 citizens together is more important than what separates them
Albania	3	7	22	46	22	0	3,8
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4	13	52	22	5	5	3,1
Kosovo*	3	11	29	41	14	1	3,5
Montenegro	4	6	25	56	3	6	3,5
North Macedonia	2	11	21	36	26	3	3,8
Serbia	6	11	43	32	3	6	3,2
Western Balkans Six	4	10	32	39	12	3	3,5

Historical mistrust and nationalist politics remain key barriers to regional cooperation

In 2025, historical mistrust and nationalist politics continue to be seen as the main barriers to regional cooperation among WB6. While the share of respondents citing nationalist politics decreased from 47% in 2024 to 37% in 2025, lack of trust due to historical issues slightly increased to 38% and prejudices remain at 26%.

	Percent
Figure 4. In your opinion, what hampers regional cooperation between WB6?
Lack of trust due to history	38
Nationalist politics	37
Prejudices	26
Ethnic divisions	18
Global external influences	18
Week connectivity such as physical infrastructure	14
Religious differences	13
Other	1

Growing Optimism towards EU Integration

Support for EU membership has increased across the WB6, reaching 64% overall compared to 54% in 2024. Albania (86%) and Kosovo* (78%) show the strongest support. Other WB6 also record notable gains, reflecting a growing optimism about EU integration in the region.

Economy	Good	Neither good nor bad	Bad	DNK/DA
Figure 5. Do you think that EU membership of [ECONOMY] would be good, neither good nor bad, or bad?
Albania	86	24	9	2
Bosnia and Herzegovina	59	31	9	1
Kosovo*	78	18	3	1
Montenegro	59	24	13	4
North Macedonia	62	27	9	1
Serbia	42	34	19	5
Western Balkans Six	64	24	9	2

Support for EU membership in the WB6 is at its highest level in a decade, rising from 39% in 2016 to 64% in 2025. Over the same period, the share of those who consider EU membership ‘bad’ has fallen from 20% to just 9%, signalling growing optimism and waning scepticism towards European integration.

Year	Good	Neither good nor bad	Bad	DNK/DA
Figure 6. Support for EU Membership in the WB6
2016	39	36	20	4
2017	42	36	19	4
2018	49	30	15	6
2019	56	28	12	4
2020	59	26	11	4
2021	62	27	8	3
2022	60	25	11	4
2023	59	28	11	2
2024	54	31	10	4
2025	64	24	9	2

Expectations for EU accession in the WB have become slightly more optimistic in 2025. A growing share of respondents now perceive accession could happen by 2030 (26%, up from 20% in 2024) or by 2035 (25%, up from 23%). At the same time, fewer expect it to take place after 2040 (9%, down from 11%) or believe it will never happen (17%, down from 18%), while views that accession will occur around 2040 remain broadly stable (13% vs. 14%).

Economy	2030	2035	2040	After 2040	Never	DNK/DA
When do you expect the EU accession to happen?
Albania	43	27	11	8	8	3
Bosnia and Herzegovina	9	34	16	11	20	10
Kosovo*	39	27	15	8	4	6
Montenegro	39	24	11	7	12	7
North Macedonia	15	21	16	11	25	13
Serbia	15	18	9	10	33	16
Western Balkans Six	26	25	13	9	17	9

Citizens in the WB6 increasingly associate EU membership with benefits, particularly economic gains and mobility. Economic prosperity remains the leading expectation, cited by 47% of respondents (up from 43% in 2024), followed by freedom to travel, which has risen to 36% (from 27% in 2024). Freedom to study and work in the EU, as well as lasting peace and stability, are each mentioned by 28% of respondents (compared to 35% and 27% respectively in 2024).

Economy	Freedom to travel	Freedom to study and/or work in the EU	Economic prosperity	Peace and stability	Health and Social protection	Nothing good/positive	DNK/DA
Figure 8. EU Membership: What It Means for You Personally
Albania	34	36	71	24	15	3	0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	36	19	44	34	14	9	3
Kosovo*	35	32	60	36	10	2	1
Montenegro	35	25	32	23	14	12	4
North Macedonia	45	34	47	28	11	7	2
Serbia	33	21	29	22	8	23	8
Western Balkans Six	36	28	47	28	12	9	3

Expanding Digital Use, Growing Concerns

In 2025, citizens in the WB6 report an increase in their use of digital services compared to 2024. According to public perceptions, online shopping (44% vs. 36%) and online banking (37% vs. 31%) remain the most frequently used services, underscoring the growing role of digital tools in daily life. The share of respondents saying they use AI has nearly tripled (29% vs. 10%), while those reporting use of video streaming has also risen (26% vs. 21%), pointing to a rapidly diversifying digital landscape. By contrast, perceived use of e-government services has remained broadly stable (19% vs. 20%).

Economy	Online banking	E-government	Video streaming (Netflix, etc.)	Online shopping	AI tools like ChatGPT and others	Did not use any digital/online services	DNK/DA
Figure 9. Online Services Used in the Past Year
Albania	26	29	21	40	27	39	3
Bosnia and Herzegovina	46	5	26	41	25	31	4
Kosovo*	28	18	20	32	35	40	1
Montenegro	30	21	35	54	35	24	4
North Macedonia	49	11	18	49	15	32	1
Serbia	42	27	35	49	37	26	7
Western Balkans Six	27	19	26	44	29	32	3

Public perceptions of the risks linked to internet crimes have declined (40% vs. 46%). Concern about the security of online payments has also fallen (26% vs. 30%). At the same time, the safety and well-being of children online remains the primary concern, cited by 43% of respondents (up from 42% in 2024), underscoring its continued importance in the public eye.

Economy	Internet crimes (theft of personal data, theft of credit card information, etc.)	Safety and well-being of children	Security of online payments	Required digital skills to actively use digital tools	Fear of possibility of losing your employment due to AI	Nothing worries me about increased use of digital tools and the Internet	DNK/DA
Figure 10. What worries you most about the increased use of digital tools and the internet?
Albania	39	50	21	13	6	30	3
Bosnia and Herzegovina	43	41	24	12	7	18	5
Kosovo*	38	41	17	11	4	22	8
Montenegro	36	50	34	11	14	18	3
North Macedonia	47	35	36	14	7	26	5
Serbia	35	41	26	15	12	17	14
Western Balkans Six	40	43	26	13	8	22	6

Air and Water Pollution Dominate Community Environmental Concerns

In 2025, citizens in the WB6 show heightened awareness of environmental challenges in their local communities, particularly those related to pollution. Air pollution is cited most frequently (61%, up from 57% in 2024), while concern about water pollution has also increased (52% vs. 43%), followed by soil pollution (44% vs. 38%). At the same time, concern about poor waste management has slightly declined (34% vs. 37%).

	Percent
Figure 11. Community Concerns: What are your greatest environmental concerns in your community?
Air polution	61
Water polution	62
Soil polution	44
Extreme weather events	36
Poor waste management	34
Heavy traffic	33
Landscape damage	30
Noise	21
DK/DA	2

Higher Trust in the EU and Other External Institutions than in Domestic Politics

Across the WB6, citizens express comparatively higher levels of trust in several key institutions. Religious organisations are viewed most positively, with 69% of respondents reporting ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a great deal’ of confidence, followed by the armed forces (62%) and the European Union (60%). Perceptions of the police also improved notably since 2024, shifting from majority distrust to majority trust in 2025.

At the same time, public opinion remains critical of core domestic political institutions. Political parties attract the highest levels of distrust, with 77% expressing little or no confidence, followed by parliaments (70%) and social media (69%).

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	Don't know / I cannot estimate
Figure 12. Measuring confidence: How Do You Rate These Institutions?
Churches/ mosques/ religious organizations	8	22	37	32	2
The Europea Union	12	24	38	22	3
The armed forces	8	28	37	25	2
Universities	10	30	41	13	5
NATO	22	18	29	26	4
The police	13	32	36	18	1
Major companies	17	35	34	7	8
Banks	16	36	35	9	4
The civil service	22	36	32	6	4
The government	31	32	26	8	3
Television	29	43	30	5	2
The courts	28	36	26	7	3
Labour unions	28	37	20	5	11
Elections	32	33	25	6	4
The press	26	42	22	5	6
Social media / Facebook / Twitter	25	43	21	4	8
Parliament	34	36	22	5	3
Political parties	43	34	17	4	3

Zooming in on Youth Perceptions

Renewed Youth Confidence in EU Membership

In 2025, young people in the WB6 (ages 18–24) express renewed confidence in the benefits of EU membership. After a gradual decline from 70% in 2021 to 59% in 2024, the share of youth who see EU membership as good for the economy has surged to 71%, reaching its highest level in five years and signalling a strong revival of optimism about integration.

	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Figure 13. Youth Opinion: Do you think that EU membership would be a good thing, a bad thing, or neither good nor bad for economy?
Good	70	68	69	59	71
Neither good nor bad	21	24	24	31	18
Bad	5	6	6	6	7

From Inflation to Brain Drain: Key Economic Concerns Among Youth

Youth see rising prices/inflation (58%), economic situation (37%), and corruption (36%) as the main economic challenges, while giving more weight than the overall population to brain drain/emigration (28%) and quality of education (20%). Unemployment (27%) remains a key concern, similar to the general population (25%).

	Percent
Figure 14. Youth Opinion: What do you think are the 3 (three) most important problems facing economy
Rising prices inflation/ cost of living	58
Economic situation in general	37
Corruption	36
Brain drain / Emigration	28
Unemployment	27
Political instability	22
Quaility of education	20
Security situation	16
Quaility of health care	10
Environment and climate change (floods, droughts etc.)	5
Gender inequality	4
Other	1

Youth in the WB6 Show High Willingness to Work or Live Abroad

In 2025, 68% of youth in the WB6 are willing to go abroad for work or residence, 34% permanently and 34% temporarily, while only 29% prefer to stay. Compared to the overall population, youth are far more open to mobility, as only 16% of the general population considers permanent relocation, 23% temporary, and a majority of 59% prefers to remain in their home economies.

	Youth	Western Balkans Six
Figure 15. Youth Willingness to Live or Work Abroad
Yes, permanently	34	16
Yes. temporary	34	23
No	29	59
DNK/DA	3	2

Previous Year

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

¹ In line with the previous report design, the findings are based on aggregated results from WB6, each contributing equally to the overall dataset. No weighting was applied, ensuring that the regional perspectives are balanced.