Balkan Barometer |

On security, nearly half of respondents (48.6%) believe their economyis a secure place to live, compared to only 38.4% who consider the region as a whole safe. Kosovo* (58.4%), Montenegro (54.8%) and North Macedonia (54.6%) report the strongest internal security, while Bosnia and Herzegovina show the lowest confidence in domestic (32.5%) and regional security (25.1%).

Economy	I disagree (completely or mostly)	I neither agree nor disagree	I agree (completely or mostly)	DK/refuse
Do you agree that Western Balkans is a secure place to live in?
Albania	34,2%	19,5%	42,5%	3,8%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	39,6%	34,1%	25,1%	1,3%
Kosovo*	21,9%	33,3%	43,0%	1,9%
Montenegro	28,9%	30,6%	37,0%	3,5%
North Macedonia	28,7%	23,6%	46,1%	1,6%
Serbia	33,1%	27,2%	36,7%	3,0%
WB6	31,1%	28,0%	38,4%	2,5%

Economy	I disagree (completely or mostly)	I neither agree nor disagree	I agree (completely or mostly)	DK/refuse
Do you agree that your economy is a secure place to live in?
Albania	33,5%	16,3%	50,1%	0,1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	33,9%	32,9%	32,5%	0,8%
Kosovo*	16,8%	23,8%	58,4%	1,0%
Montenegro	23,3%	19,8%	54,8%	2,0%
North Macedonia	24,1%	21,1%	54,6%	0,2%
Serbia	33,7%	23,2%	41,2%	1,9%
WB6	27,6%	22,9%	48,6%	1,0%

Despite their greater sense of safety, citizens in the WB6 are largely unsatisfied with the general direction of their economies, with about 45% dissatisfied and only 24.7% satisfied.

Economy	I am dissatisfied (completely or mostly)	Neither dissatisfied nor satisfied	I am satisfied (completely or mostly)	DK/refuse
How satisfied are you with the way things are going in your economy?
Albania	44,7%	23,5%	31,8%	0,1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	56,5%	31,1%	11,8%	0,6%
Kosovo*	35,5%	35,1%	29,1%	0,2%
Montenegro	37,3%	31,6%	27,9%	3,3%
North Macedonia	46,5%	27,1%	25,3%	1,0%
Serbia	52,2%	22,2%	22,5%	3,0%
WB6	45,5%	28,4%	24,7%	1,4%

Looking ahead, regional security expectations are cautiously mixed. About 31.3% anticipate improvement, 28.8% expect deterioration, and a substantial share remains undecided. Serbia is the most pessimistic (25.2% expecting positive change), while Kosovo* (36.9%) and Albania (34.6%) are the most optimistic.

Economy	Negative (completely or mostly)	Neither negative nor positive	Positive (completely or mostly)	DK/refuse
If you consider all the current international and regional developments, in your opinion, what will the security situation in Western Balkans be in the next 12 months?
Albania	26,7%	30,1%	34,6%	8,6%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	41,2%	36,5%	19,8%	2,6%
Kosovo*	15,6%	45,1%	36,9%	2,4%
Montenegro	27,4%	27,8%	35,5%	9,4%
North Macedonia	24,9%	31,6%	35,6%	7,8%
Serbia	37,1%	30,8%	25,2%	6,9%
WB6	28,8%	33,6%	31,3%	6,3%

Expectations for domestic security are similar but slightly less positive, with an average of 30.1% expecting improvement.

Economy	Negative (completely or mostly)	Neither negative nor positive	Positive (completely or mostly)	DK/refuse
How do you think the same international and regional developments will affect security situation in your economy in the next 12 months?
Albania	21,0%	31,6%	44,1%	3,2%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	40,1%	41,8%	15,4%	2,8%
Kosovo*	16,3%	36,6%	45,0%	2,0%
Montenegro	25,6%	37,9%	27,6%	8,9%
North Macedonia	29,9%	32,4%	31,4%	6,3%
Serbia	42,7%	32,6%	16,9%	7,8%
WB6	29,3%	35,5%	30,1%	5,2%

Regarding specific threats, anxiety remains focused on direct conflict, with the highest concern generated by the prospect of a war involving one’s own economy. This worry is highest in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where citizens are also highly concerned about internal (civil) or inter-regional conflicts. On the other hand, Albania and Kosovo* display the lowest concern across all conflict scenarios.

To what degree are you worried or not about the following situations?
(Worried = "Not at all", "Not much", Not worried = "A good deal", "Very much")

Economy	Not worried	Worried	DK/refuse
A war involving my economy
Albania	62,7%	34,9%	2,4%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	39,8%	58,8%	1,4%
Kosovo*	71,0%	27,8%	1,2%
Montenegro	43,8%	51,6%	4,6%
North Macedonia	53,6%	43,9%	2,5%
Serbia	35,2%	59,7%	5,1%
WB6	51,0%	46,1%	2,9%

Economy	Not worried	Worried	DK/refuse
A war between the economies of the Western Balkans
Albania	50,1%	44,5%	5,4%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	43,1%	54,1%	2,8%
Kosovo*	72,5%	22,7%	4,8%
Montenegro	42,2%	50,8%	7,0%
North Macedonia	51,8%	43,9%	4,3%
Serbia	40,3%	53,8%	5,9%
WB6	50,0%	45,0%	5,0%

Economy	Not worried	Worried	DK/refuse
A terrorist attack
Albania	62,5%	35,7%	1,8%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	50,7%	45,2%	4,1%
Kosovo*	67,5%	28,3%	4,2%
Montenegro	45,9%	47,8%	6,4%
North Macedonia	50,5%	46,1%	3,4%
Serbia	40,8%	53,5%	5,7%
WB6	53,0%	42,8%	4,3%

Economy	Not worried	Worried	DK/refuse
A civil war within my economy
Albania	75,2%	24,4%	0,4%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	42,3%	55,0%	2,7%
Kosovo*	68,3%	27,8%	3,9%
Montenegro	52,7%	41,4%	5,9%
North Macedonia	53,3%	43,7%	3,0%
Serbia	34,5%	60,1%	5,4%
WB6	54,4%	42,1%	3,5%

This differences in security perception are also reflected in strategic alignment, highlighting a regional security divide. The dominant choice for a security mechanism in the WB6 is NATO (29.8%). However, the preference for full neutrality and non-alignment is also significant. It is the second most cited option overall, and it is the dominant choice in Serbia (27.2%). Similarly, regional cooperation ranks highly in both Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Albania and Kosovo* prioritize established Western alliances.

Economy	NATO	EU	Military alliance with some other countries outside the EU and NATO	Regional Cooperation (between neighbouring economies)	Full neutrality and non-alignment	DK / refuse
Which security cooperation mechanism do you think is the most important for addressing the current security challenges of your economy?
Albania	53	36	2	6	1	2
Bosnia and Herzegovina	19	19	8	24	15	15
Kosovo*	49	15	24	7	3	2
Montenegro	21	22	6	20	15	16
North Macedonia	34	21	9	17	9	11
Serbia	4	15	8	24	27	22
WB6	30	21	9	16	12	11

Despite lingering concerns about regional security and stability, people across the Western Balkans Six generally report feeling secure in their everyday environments (at home, in their communities, and in public spaces). Across the WB6, just over half of citizens (53.5%) report feeling secure in their daily lives, while one in five feels insecure. Kosovo* stands out with the highest share of people feeling secure (64.3%), followed by North Macedonia (59.1%) and Montenegro (58.0%), indicating comparatively strong personal safety and trust in local environments. In contrast, Bosnia and Herzegovina (43.1%) and Serbia (46.1%) show the lowest levels of perceived security.

Economy	I do not feel secure at all	I do not feel very secure	I feel neither secure nor insecure	I feel quite secure	I feel very secure	DK /refuse
Could you tell me how secure do you feel these days? By “security,” we mean your overall sense of safety in everyday life, at home, in your community, and public spaces, including physical safety, freedom from want/hardships, fear, and indignity.
Albania	4,3	22,3	22,7	39,4	11,3	0,0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,9	13,5	38,3	34,7	8,4	1,3
Kosovo*	1,8	13,2	20,4	49,9	14,5	0,3
Montenegro	5,2	13,9	20,6	44,9	13,0	2,3
North Macedonia	3,3	14,7	22,3	46,1	12,9	0,6
Serbia	6,0	17,7	28,1	36,6	9,4	2,1
WB6	4,1	15,9	25,4	41,9	11,6	1,1

In regards to factors shaping people’s sense of personal security, across the WB6, the most commonly observed neighborhood issues are people begging in the streets (58.8%) and public alcohol consumption (41.9%). In contrast, police or military interference (18.0%) and discriminatory or verbally harassing behavior based on ethnic, religious, or personal identity (19.5%) are the least frequent. Reports of general crime such as robberies, drug sales, and street violence remain moderate, with average occurrence rates between 25% and 29%.

Factor	Not at all frequently	Not frequently	Quite frequently	Very frequently	DK /refuse
How frequently do you hear about or see the following things occur in your neighborhood?
People begging in the street	16	23	35	24	2
Domestic violence	27	33	26	7	6
Sexual harassment	40	32	16	4	8
Street violence and fights	30	38	23	6	3
Drug sale in streets	32	28	22	8	11
Discriminatory behaviour or verbal harassment targeting ethnic and religious identity or personal orientation	45	31	15	5	4
Police or para-military interfere with people’s private life	42	34	14	4	6
Alcohol consumption in the streets	21	35	31	11	2
Robberies	30	43	22	4	2

In response to these perceived risks, people across the region report a variety of protective and avoidance behaviors. The most common is financial caution with over half (54.4%) in WB6 region reporting they avoid carrying much money. More than a third of respondents (36.2%) in the WB6 region avoid going out at night. On the other hand, physical security measures are less common, only one in five (20.6%) have installed video surveillance or burglar alarms. Extreme defensive actions remain rare. Just 3.2% of respondents in the WB6 region report carrying a weapon, and 6.4% admit to concealing their ethnic, religious, or personal identity.

Behaviour	Yes	No	DK / refuse
Which of the following things have you done for reasons of security?
Didn’t carry much money	54,4	41,9	3,7
Preferred not to go out at night	36	60	4
Carried a knife, gun or other weapon	3	94	2
Installed video surveillance or burglar alarm in your place of living	21	77	3
Disguising my ethnic, religious identity or personal orientation	6	91	3

Public satisfaction with key security measures across the Western Balkans Six shows the highest confidence in basic infrastructure and emergency response, and the lowest in police visibility and patrol activity. Over half of respondents (52.3%) are satisfied with street lighting, making it the most positively rated measure, while emergency services also perform relatively well (43.5%). In contrast, satisfaction with surveillance cameras (39.4%) and police visibility (39.5%) is mixed, and only about one in three citizens (35.1%) express satisfaction with regular police patrols.

Measure	I am dissatisfied (completely or mostyl)	I am neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	I am satisfied (completely or mostyl)	DK / refuse
How satisfied or not are you with the following public security measures in your area?
Regular police patrols	29,8	33,0	35,1	2,1
Visibility of police in public spaces	28,1	30,1	39,5	2,3
Surveillance cameras in public areas	28,0	27,1	39,4	5,5
Street lighting	22,2	23,9	52,3	2,4
Response efficiency of emergency services (ambulance/fire/police)	25,3	28,5	43,5	2,7

Citizens across the Western Balkans Six are predominantly concerned with economic pressures, overshadowing all other issues. The high cost of living (55.7%), inflation (52.8%), and pension levels (52.4%) emerge as the top three sources of concern. While nearly half of respondents also express high concern over wages (48.8%) and corruption in society (45.3%), issues such as depopulation and emigration (44.0%) and unemployment (34.3%) remain significant, reflecting broader worries about economic opportunity and social stability. At the other end of the spectrum, issues of political and security stability such as terrorism (18.1% highly concerned) and ethnic tensions (24.2%) generate far less public concern. Similarly, concerns about democratic erosion (33.2%) and foreign influence (28.3%) remain moderate, indicating that citizens are more preoccupied with tangible, everyday challenges rather than abstract geopolitical risks.

Issue	Low concern	Moderate concern	High Concern
How concerned are you about each of the following in your economy on a scale of 1 to 10? (High Concern = scores 9 and 10, moderate concern = scores 5, 6, 7, and 8, low concern = scores 1, 2, 3, and 4)
High cost of living	6,8	36,7	55,7
Inflation	5,2	38,6	52,8
Level of pensions	9,0	35,2	52,4
Level of wages	8,5	40,9	48,7
Corruption in society	8,5	44,2	45,3
Depopulation and emigration	11,1	42,4	44
Level of taxes	9,3	48,2	39,1
The government / political leadership	16,8	71,7	38,2
Low traffic safety	11,1	49,1	38,0
Organised crime	14,5	46,9	36,5
Climate change and pollution	12,2	49,7	36,4
Unemployment	15,5	48,5	34,3
Availability of jobs	17,2	49,6	31,1
Erosion of democratic and human rights	17,7	49,5	30,2
Immigration / foreign workers	20,3	47,0	29,7
Influence of foreign powers in domestic affairs	18,9	48,3	28,3
Increasing tensions among ethnic groups	27,7	44,9	24,1
Terrorism	37,1	41,6	18,1

The general economic concerns are reinforced by data on household financial resilience in the Western Balkans Six. A significant portion of families exhibits limited capacity to manage unexpected expenses or afford occasional luxuries, indicating fragility despite the majority's ability to cover basic necessities. The most significant financial vulnerability is the capacity to face an unexpected expense of approximately €1000 without borrowing or relying on others, which 37.0% of respondents disagree they can afford. Similarly, the capacity to afford replacing worn-out furniture is difficult for 28.8% of households. The regional population is split on the ability to afford a one-week annual holiday away from home, with 43.9% agreeing and 28.7% disagreeing. Clear majority feel they have the capacity to manage basic needs and assets with 62.6% agreeing they can keep their home adequately warm/cool and 58.3% can afford a meal with meat/equivalent every second day. Additionally, 55.3% agree they have access to a car/van for personal use.

Capacity	Disagree	Hard to say	Agree
From your point of view, does your household have the sufficient economic capacity to afford the following?
The capacity to face an unexpected expense of approximately €1000 without borrowing or relying on others	37	30	33
Capacity to afford paying for one-week annual holiday away from home	29	27	44
Capacity to being confronted with payment arrears (on mortgage or rental payments, utility bills, hire purchase instalments or other loan payments)	34	31	35
Capacity to afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish or vegetarian equivalent every second day	19	23	58
Ability to keep home adequately warm in winter and cool in summer	15	22	63
Have access to a car/van for personal use	25	20	55
Replacing worn-out furniture	29	31	40

In contrast to the household data, the capacity to afford basic individual items and regular social engagement is quite high, particularly for digital access and clothing. Majority of the population reports having the economic power for an internet connection (81.7% agree), replacing worn-out clothes (75.3% agree), and having two pairs of properly fitting shoes (76.4% agree). Social activities are also generally affordable for many with 64.4% who stated they can afford to get together with friends/family for a drink/meal at least once a month. However, affordability drops for discretionary spending and leisure, 56.2% agree they can afford to spend a small amount of money on themselves each week, and less than half (49.6%) can afford regular leisure activities, which indicates that sustained, non-essential personal spending and recreation are where individual economic constraints are most felt.

Capacity	Disagree	Hard to say	Agree
Do you have the economic power to afford the following for your individual use?
Having internet connection	9	9	82
Replacing worn-out clothes by some new ones	9	16	75
Having two pairs of properly fitting shoes (including a pair of all-weather shoes)	10	14	76
Spending a small amount of money each week on myself	21	23	56
Having regular leisure activities	26	25	50
Getting together with friends/family for a drink/meal at least once a month	17	19	64

Public sentiment across the WB6 region regarding immigration is mixed, reflecting a strong humanitarian perspective alongside notable concerns about security, social stability and labor market which affect the regional perception of immigration. The humanitarian view is the most widely endorsed with 54.8% of respondents who agree that immigration provides people from poorer countries with a chance at a better life, and 44.7% consider granting asylum to refugees a humanitarian obligation. At the same time, there is perceived negative impact. A significant portion of population believes immigration contributes to security and social challenges, with 43.4% thinking it increases the crime rate and 41.7% associating it with a higher risk of terrorism. Public opinion is also critical in regards to economic contribution of immigration, 47.0% disagree that immigrants help fill essential job vacancies, while 40.9% believe immigration leads to higher local unemployment. Also, 45.4% disagree that immigration enriches society or enhances cultural diversity.

Effect	Disagree	Hard to say	Agree
From your point of view, what have been the effects of immigration on the development of our economy? For each of the following statements, please tell me whether you agree or disagree with it.
Immigrants help fill important job vacancies in our economy	47	28	25
Immigration contributes to cultural diversity and enriches society.	45	28	27
Immigration increases the crime rate	26	31	43
Granting asylum to refugees is a humanitarian obligation	24	31	45
Immigration increases the risk of terrorism	26	32	42
Immigration gives people from poorer countries a chance at a better life	16	29	55
Immigration leads to higher unemployment among locals	30	29	41
Immigration contributes to social tensions and conflict	25	33	41

As for the preferred approach to foreign labor immigration, a majority of 56.6% support a pragmatic policy allowing people to work as long as jobs are available, reflecting an awareness of labor market needs. Yet this conditional openness is tempered by a stronger demand for oversight with 62.7% of respondents who favor strict limits on the number of foreign workers, which shows regional preference for active state regulation of labor inflows. At the same time, the region generally opposes restrictive policies based solely on a worker’s origin, with 51.3% rejecting bans on workers from outside the WB6 and the European Union (EU).

Policy	Yes	No	Don't know
Thinking about people from other countries coming to work in your economy, which of the following policy directions do you personally support?
Allow people to come work as long as there are jobs available	57	33	10
Place strict limits on the number of foreign workers	63	27	10
Prohibit people coming here from other countries except the Western Balkans and EU countries	32	51	16

Overall, the intention to move abroad for living and working is present in just over a quarter of the WB6 population, with 27.3% expressing some level of a plan, ranging from vague to definite action. Despite this significant minority, the large majority, 67.8%, state they do not want to move.

Economy	I have a vague plan to move	I have already developed a plan for moving	I have a definite plan to move and have started taking actions for moving	I do not want to move	DK/refuse
Do you intend to move abroad for living and working?
Albania	9,9	11,8	5,5	69,9	2,9
Bosnia and Herzegovina	26,0	3,8	11,8	54,9	3,5
Kosovo*	5,9	5,6	5,3	80,6	2,7
Montenegro	21,9	4,2	5,5	62,9	5,5
North Macedonia	13,3	7,1	5,9	67,7	6,0
Serbia	12,9	3,4	4,0	71,2	8,5
WB6	15,0	6,0	6,3	67,9	4,8

Among those who do plan to move, the preferred destinations are overwhelmingly concentrated in Western and Central Europe. The most desired destination regionally is the Germany – Austria bloc (25.4%), followed by Switzerland (15.2%), and the USA (11.9%). The fourth most popular set of destinations includes the distant, developed economies of Canada – Australia – New Zealand, attracting 6.4% of potential migrants. The fifth most popular destination is Italy, selected by 6.1% of respondents, demonstrating a lower, yet still notable, interest in neighboring Southern European economies. This destination preference clearly indicates that most citizens who intend to leave are targeting established, wealthy economies in Europe and North America, rather than other economies within the region or less-developed ones.

Country	Percent
Which of the following countries would you choose to move for living and working?
Germany - Austria	25,5
Switzerland	15,2
USA	11,9
Canada – Australia – New Zealand	6,4
Italy	6,1
UK	4,9
Slovenia - Croatia	4,5
Sweden	4,3
Another economy in the Western Balkans	4,3
Other EU member states	4,0
Greece	1,8
Turkey	1,7
Russia	0,7
Gulf countries	0,5
China	0,5
Other	2,4
DK / refuse	5,2

The prevailing public view on the change in the quality and performance of public institutions in the region over the past five years is one of stagnation or decline. The largest single segment of the population, 42.1%, feels that the quality and performance have remained about the same. However, the combined sentiment of decline is significant with 32.0% of respondents who believe institutions are worse or much worse, which outweighs the combined positive perception of 21.7% who feel the quality is better or much better.

Economy	Worse & Much Worse	About the same	Batter & Much better	DK/refuse
In your view, how has the quality and performance of public institutions in your economy changed over the past (5) five years?
Albania	26,0	44,9	27,7	1,4
Bosnia and Herzegovina	38,1	43,8	13,3	4,9
Kosovo*	19,1	49,6	29,7	1,6
Montenegro	28,6	34,2	30,5	6,8
North Macedonia	32,1	51,9	11,6	4,4
Serbia	48,3	28,2	17,7	5,8
WB6	32,0	42,1	21,7	4,1

Regarding individual institutions, the public confidence in the Western Balkans Six is highest for security institutions. The Army is the most trusted institution, with 57.9% of respondents expressing confidence. Religious institutions (churches, mosques, etc.) follow closely at 62.0%, and the Police are trusted by 52.4% of respondents. Educational institutions also enjoy relatively high confidence, with universities at 53.3%. These results indicate that stable, traditional, and security-focused institutions are the primary sources of public trust in the region. International Organizations like the EU (52.1%) and NATO (52.0%) also exceed 50% combined trust, marking them as generally reliable knowledge sources and strategic anchors for the region.

Confidence is considerably lower for government and political institutions. Political parties are the least trusted, with 76.6% of respondents expressing lack of confidence. Other governance and justice bodies also face significant distrust like courts (65.1%), parliament (69.1%), the electoral commission (61.1%), public procurement authorities (64.2%) and the government itself (59.5%), all of which show high levels of public skepticism.

Media and information channels largely fall into the low-trust category with 29.4% expressing lack of confidence in TV and 19.2% for social media.

I am going to name a number of institutions/organizations and means of communication. For each one, could you tell how much confidence you have or not?

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
I am going to name a number of institutions/organizations and means of communication. For each one, could you tell how much confidence you have or not?
State security and justice
Armed forces	8	27	42	16	7
The police	11	33	39	13	4
The courts	26	39	22	5	7
Core government and politics
The government	28	32	27	8	6
Political parties	37	40	15	3	5
Parliament	34	35	20	5	6
The civil service	21	38	29	6	6
Oversight and integrity institutions
Public procurement authorities	28	37	19	4	13
State election commission	26	35	24	7	8
Knowledge and education
Universities	9	26	42	12	11
Media and information channels
TV	21	46	25	5	4
Social media	26	46	16	3	9
Non-state / Value-based
Religious organizations	9	24	38	24	5
International organizations
EU	17	25	34	18	6
NATO	24	18	27	25	6

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
State security and justice
Armed forces	8	27	42	16	7
The police	11	33	39	13	4
The courts	26	39	22	5	7

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
Core government and politics
The government	28	32	27	8	6
Political parties	37	40	15	3	5
Parliament	34	35	20	5	6
The civil service	21	38	29	6	6

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
Oversight and integrity institutions
Public procurement authorities	28	37	19	4	13
State election commission	26	35	24	7	8

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
Knowledge and education
Universities	9	26	42	12	11

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
Media and information channels
TV	21	46	25	5	4
Social media	26	46	16	3	9

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
Non-state / Value-based
Religious organizations	9	24	38	24	5

Institution	None at all	Not very much	Quite a lot	A great deal	DK/refuse
International organizations
EU	17	25	34	18	6
NATO	24	18	27	25	6

Furthermore, regarding media, across the region, there is skepticism regarding the integrity of information sources, with the public viewing most sources as biased rather than neutral. A vast majority (over 80%) perceive politicians and political parties as unreliable, criticizing them primarily for bias over outright misinformation. In the media landscape, the regional public is critical of old and new platforms. Local TV channels and other traditional news media are primarily seen as sources of bias (49.2%), while online anonyms social networks are the most cited source of pure misinformation (45.3%), although they are still viewed with high overall distrust (73.0% combined negative perception). The sources that manage to achieve the highest level of perceived neutrality (over 28%) are independent journalists and international TV channels.

Institution	Misinformation	Biased	Neutral	DK/refuse
Misinformation can be defined as stories that are made up or cannot be verified as accurate but are presented to people as if they are accurate. Whereas biased information is referring to the stories prejudiced for or against someone or something. Do you believe the following news resources are the source of misinformation or bias?
Local TV channels or other traditional news media	24	49	19	7
Online anonyms social networks	45	28	14	13
International TV channels or other traditional news media	18	39	29	14
Foreign countries social media accounts	28	33	20	19
Social media influencers	33	34	15	17
Politicians	33	48	10	9
Independent journalists	19	38	32	11
Political parties	33	44	10	13

The overwhelming majority of citizens in the Western Balkans Six perceive corruption as a widespread problem. Regionally, a combined total of 81.0% of respondents believe corruption is either very or fairly widespread. This view is higher in Serbia (82.6% widespread) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (83.6% widespread).

Economy	Widespread	Rare	There is no corruption	DK/refuse
How widespread do you think the problem of corruption is in your economy?
Albania	87	13	0	0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	84	12	0	4
Kosovo*	81	17	0	2
Montenegro	74	14	1	11
North Macedonia	78	20	0	2
Serbia	83	9	1	7
WB6	81	14	0	4

Regarding the recent trend, more people believe corruption has increased rather than decreased. A combined 45.5% of respondents state that the level of corruption in their economy has either increased a lot (27.4%) or increased a little (18.1%) in the past three years. On the other hand, only 17.8% believe it has decreased a little or decreased a lot. The largest single response across the region, given by 31.1%, is that the level of corruption has stayed the same, indicating that corruption is a persistent issue.

Economy	Increased a lot	Increased a little	Stayed the same	Decreased a little	Decreased a lot	There is no corruption in my economy	DK/refuse
In the past (3) three years, would you say that the level of corruption in your economy has…?
Albania	26	14	30	24	6	0	0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	34	20	29	10	1	0	5
Kosovo*	14	20	40	19	3	0	4
Montenegro	20	14	34	17	4	1	11
North Macedonia	29	21	33	11	2	0	4
Serbia	42	19	21	7	2	0	8
WB6	27	18	31	15	3	0	5

Direct experience with being asked for a bribe remains relatively low across most institutions, but is most concentrated in the health care system. Regionally, 27.7% of respondents reported being asked for a bribe within the health care system, while the second highest sector is the police at 13.1%. All other public sectors including the courts, social security, tax authorities, and public prosecution have lower scores, typically under 9%.

In your contact or contacts with the following public institutions, did you or anyone living in your household have to give an extra payment or a valuable gift, or make a donation to the following public institutions in the past 3 years?

Economy	Yes	No	DK/refuse
In your contact or contacts with the following public institutions, did you or anyone living in your household have to give an extra payment or a valuable gift, or make a donation to the following public institutions in the past 3 years?
Share of respondents reporting corruption experience in public institutions involed in law enforcement
Police	13,1	80,6	6,3
The courts (tribunals)	8,8	83,0	8,2
Public prosecution service	5,8	84,9	9,3
Officials awarding public tenders	5,3	85,0	9,7
Officials issuing building permits	9,1	81,8	9,2
Inspectors (health and safety, construction, labour, food quality, sanitary control, and licensing)	9,9	81,1	9,0
Share of respondents reporting corruption experience in public
The health care system	27,7	64,2	8,1
The education sector	10,3	81,8	7,8
Customs	8,0	83,6	8,4
Social security and welfare authorities	7,3	85,5	7,2
Tax authorities	8,6	82,8	8,7
Politicians at national, regional, or local level	7,1	84,7	8,2
Political parties	5,5	85,3	9,1
Private companies	6,6	84,8	8,6
Banks and financial institutions	6,2	86,3	7,6

Institution	Yes	No	DK/refuse
Share of respondents reporting corruption experience in public institutions involved in law enforcement
Police	13,1	80,6	6,3
The courts (tribunals)	8,8	83,0	8,2
Public prosecution service	5,8	84,9	9,3
Officials awarding public tenders	5,3	85,0	9,7
Officials issuing building permits	9,1	81,8	9,2
Inspectors (health and safety, construction, labour, food quality, sanitary control, and licensing)	9,9	81,1	9,0

Institution	Yes	No	DK/refuse
Share of respondents reporting corruption experience in public services
The health care system	27,7	64,2	8,1
The education sector	10,3	81,8	7,8
Customs	8,0	83,6	8,4
Social security and welfare authorities	7,3	85,5	7,2
Tax authorities	8,6	82,8	8,7
Politicians at national, regional, or local level	7,1	84,7	8,2
Political parties	5,5	85,3	9,1
Private companies	6,6	84,8	8,6
Banks and financial institutions	6,2	86,3	7,6

Public sentiment across the WB6 reflects skepticism toward emerging digital and technological challenges, particularly regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data privacy. Regionally, 37.0% believe AI will mostly harm people over the next 20 years, compared with 22.1% who think it will mostly help, with pessimism highest in Serbia (43.8%), Montenegro (41.0%), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (40.6%). Albania and Kosovo* are exceptions, showing more balanced or neutral perceptions.

Economy	Mostly harm	Neither harm nor help	Mostly help	DK/refuse
When you use the internet or social media, how worried or not are you that the following things could happen to your personal information?
Albania	38,2	16,3	36,4	9,0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	40,6	36,3	14,3	8,8
Kosovo*	25,2	40,7	24,1	10,0
Montenegro	41,0	30,2	14,7	14,1
North Macedonia	33,2	27,1	26,5	13,2
Serbia	43,8	24,0	16,7	15,5
WB6	37,0	29,1	22,1	11,8

Concern over data privacy is similarly widespread with 75.7% of respondents who worry about general personal data theft, while 69.9% are concerned about misuse by governments or foreign actors, including around 30% who are very worried. Albania again stands out with particularly high concern for general data theft (47.5% very worried). Overall, the WB6 public tends to view both AI and digital security developments with caution, emphasizing potential risks over unequivocal benefits.

Economy	Very worried	Somewhat worried	Not worried	DK/refuse
When you use the internet or social media, how worried or not are you that the following things could happen to your personal information?
Personal information being stolen	29,1	46,6	18,6	5,8
Personal information being used by the government without your permission	29,8	40,1	23,1	7,1
Personal information being stolen by foreign countries	29,7	40,2	22,3	7,8

Securimeter 2025 - Key Findings

Feeling Safe at Home, Uncertain About the Region

Feeling Safe in Daily Life

Economic Pressures and Public Priorities

Public Views on Immigration and Labor Mobility

Mobility Intentions

Public Confidence in Institutions and Information Sources

Perceptions of Corruption and Governance Challenges

Emerging Digital Risks: AI and Data Privacy