Montenegro remains predominantly oriented toward the European Union and antifascist values, but growing distrust in institutions, economic insecurity, selective justice, and unclear political messages are seriously undermining citizens’ optimism. The decline in support for EU integration and the rise in concern about the direction in which the country is heading warn that, without visible reforms and consistent rule of law, the European perspective is losing credibility, according to the findings of the latest MNE Pulse survey presented today by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE/CGO) and the DAMAR Institute.
Although a relative majority of citizens still believe that Montenegro is moving in a good or very good direction (44.7%), it is concerning that nearly 40% of respondents assess that the country is heading in the wrong or very wrong direction, while a high percentage are unable to take a position (16.9%).
“When it comes to the overall situation in the country, only 27.2% of citizens believe that Montenegro is developing, while almost half of respondents see the situation as stagnation, crisis, or a state close to catastrophe. However, perceptions of Montenegro’s direction in December are noticeably more positive than in March. Overall, the share of those who say Montenegro is moving in a good direction, ‘very good’ or ‘good’, increased from 35.8% in March to 44.7% in December. At the same time, the share of those who believe the country is moving in the wrong direction decreased from 44.9% to 38.4%. These findings indicate deep polarization and pronounced uncertainty regarding future social and economic developments,” said Vuk Čađenović, Director of the DAMAR Institute.
The dominant feeling remains concern (26.1%), although it is lower than in March. There are fewer “hot” emotions such as anger, alongside a rise in hope and satisfaction. However, sadness and indifference are also increasing, pointing to a mixed emotional profile: less tension, but still no clear optimism.
“Trust in institutions remains low and fragmented. No institution enjoys a high level of trust, and it is particularly worrying that Parliament, the judiciary, and political parties are at the very bottom of the scale. Citizens place the most trust in religious communities, the education system, and religious organizations,” Čađenović emphasized.
Nearly half of citizens (47.1%) state that their household’s monthly income is insufficient to cover basic living expenses, while only 36.8% manage to balance their monthly budget without difficulty. More than a third of respondents (33%) report that they live worse today than last year, while only a quarter record an improvement in their standard of living. “These data confirm that economic insecurity is becoming one of the key political and social issues in Montenegro,” Čađenović assessed.
“The work of the Government led by Milojko Spajić was rated by citizens with an average score of 2.58, and a similar assessment applies to the parliamentary opposition, as no opposition party exceeds an average rating, which further points to a crisis of the political offer as a whole,” said Čađenović.
Regarding police conduct in the Zabjelo incident, opinions are divided, with a high share of citizens without a clear position. Overall, however, critical assessments (41.4%) exceed positive evaluations of police conduct (36.4%). The most common individual position is that the police acted professionally, but a significant portion sees a problem in the way the public was informed.
“Citizens predominantly assessed the Prime Minister’s decision to abolish the visa-free regime for Turkish citizens as premature, hasty, or politically motivated, while fewer than a quarter considered it justified. Its abolition also indicates that these views ultimately prevailed within the Government,” Čađenović noted.
“The majority of citizens of Montenegro (55.5%) have a negative or predominantly negative view of the historical role of Pavle Đurišić, which indicates that revisionist narratives, despite intense, aggressive, and organized attempts to promote them, have not become dominant in public opinion,” said Daliborka Uljarević, Executive Director of CCE, while also warning that around 12% of respondents hold a positive view and that a high percentage have no opinion, leaving room for the relativization of historical facts and the normalization of ideologies that are in direct opposition to the antifascist foundations of modern Montenegro.
“Almost 60% of respondents oppose erecting a monument to Pavle Đurišić, which means that such initiatives lack democratic legitimacy in the public. Although some actors have attempted to present Đurišić as a hero of the Serbian national community, there is no strong support for this even within that community, and it is certainly significantly lower than the combined electorate of the most extreme political options that promote this type of revisionism,” she stated.
Even after more than four months, institutions have not removed the illegally erected monument that is the subject of criminal proceedings, which is predominantly seen as a defeat of the security and judicial system and further strengthens distrust in the ability of institutions to enforce the law consistently, particularly when entering politically and ideologically sensitive territory. The fact that a third of respondents have no opinion may be a warning sign of the dangerous normalization of institutional inefficiency, it was stated at the presentation of the findings.
The European Union remains the main perceived foreign policy anchor of Montenegro, but compared to the previous wave from July 2024, a decline has been recorded, as well as a decrease in reliance on Serbia, alongside a simultaneous increase in reliance on some global actors such as Russia, the United States, China, Germany, and others. “We are seeing a fragmentation of foreign policy orientations, which undermines the European consensus and can send confusing messages to our EU partners,” Uljarević emphasized.
Support for EU membership remains majority-based (64%) but is in continuous decline—by about 13% compared to 2021, along with a record one-fifth of opponents and a growing number of undecided citizens, which represents a serious warning signal.
“Citizens are highly skeptical of the timelines communicated by the Government regarding the closing of negotiating chapters—only 22.4% believe that this process will be completed by the end of 2026, while more than half either doubt this outcome or expect additional flexibility from the EU. Particularly concerning is the fact that more than one-fifth of citizens believe that Montenegro will never become an EU member,” Uljarević stated.
“The majority of citizens (54.4%) view Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić as a destabilizing factor for the region and Montenegro, while only 15.4% perceive him as a great statesman, which is less than the support enjoyed by parties that openly affirm his policies in Montenegro. A high percentage of those without a position, especially among citizens of Serbian nationality, indicates an ambivalent and cautious attitude toward this issue,” Uljarević said when commenting on the question related to Vučić.
Only a quarter of respondents believe that the Special State Prosecutor can initiate proceedings without political constraints, while the majority believe that justice is applied selectively or depends on political power. Only 10.7% of respondents believe that abuses are prosecuted regardless of political affiliation, while a large number of citizens are unable to assess the work of institutions in this regard, indicating confusion when it comes to evaluating institutional performance.
“When it comes to media publication of private communications from the Special State Prosecutor’s Office cases that do not contain elements of a criminal offense, opinions are divided, but a critical stance prevails. A larger number of citizens see this as a violation of privacy and the fairness of proceedings (46.4%), while only one-fifth believe such practices contribute to understanding the cases. Nearly one-third cannot take a position. This indicates public concern about the medialization of justice and the potential compromise of the proceedings themselves,”Uljarević concluded.
Data collection was conducted using the CAPI method, from 8 to 18 December 2025, on a three-stage stratified random sample covering 1,000 adult citizens of Montenegro.
MNE Pulse is a joint initiative of CCE and DAMAR, aimed at helping those engaged in strategic democratic development of society make decisions based on reliable data and thorough analyses, with citizens at the center. In this way, the quality of public debate on important issues can be improved, and the level of accountability of all actors raised.
Maja Marinović, Programme Associate