Some 75% of Armenians are dissatisfied with the government’s coronavirus containment measures, a new online survey shows.
The survey has been conducted among 1,700 citizens aged over 18 by the Voice of People expert group.
According to the survey, 25% of the responders said that they approved of the government’s handling of the outbreak, 56% believed that the measures were not enough to curb the spread of the infection, while 19% said the steps were unjustified.
Asked about the social and economic impact of the pandemic, in particular on the responders’ families, 15% said they had suffered a job/business loss, 4% said their business were on the verge of survival, 8% said the employer had sent the working member of their family on unpaid leave, 48% said their income had reduced dramatically, while 25% said the pandemic had not affected their social and economic status.
To the question of whose support the respondents expect in case of income reduction, 27% said they expected support from their relatives and acquaintances, 29% – from the authorities, 3% – from humanitarian organizations, while 41% could not answer the question.
The Voice of People reminds that the government has allocated more than $300 million to support the population and businesses.
Asked whether it has helped people deal with the coronavirus crisis, 6% of the responders said they had not received support from the government although it was provided by law, 57% were not been beneficiaries of support programs, 28% received support, but it was not enough, only 9% said they managed to solve their problems thanks to the support.
Finally, responding to the question about how the government should expand support to people and businesses, 9% proposed the authorities to grant tax breaks to businesses, 19% called for greater financial support to the population, 15% were in favor of more significant repayment of utility bills, 40% supported all the measures, while 17% could not answer the question.