There has been a significant decline in optimism among citizens regarding the direction in which Montenegro is heading, along with an increase in those who are finding it increasingly difficult to cover the monthly cost of living. Over the past two months, the dominant sentiment has been concern, with a high level of support for protest initiatives and demands for accountability from institutions and decision-makers, which transcends typical demographic or party-based divides. These findings are outlined in the latest MNE Pulse, presented by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) and the DAMAR Institute.
“Data on the perception of the country’s direction indicate a drastic decline in optimism – 35.8% of citizens believe that Montenegro is heading in a good or very good direction, compared to 51.4% in February 2024. Meanwhile, the perception of a negative trajectory has risen from 40% to 44.9%, alongside a rise in the number of undecided respondents. Looking at the broader picture, 49.3% of respondents view the current situation in the country as negative or unstable, compared to 36.6% last year“, said Vuk Čađenović, Director of the DAMAR Institute.
The most commonly reported emotions among citizens of Montenegro in the past two months were concern –29.4%, hope 16.3%, indifference 13.3%, and sadness 12.4%. “Interestingly, young people aged 18 to 24 exhibit the highest level of indifference (20%),” Čađenović noted.
The most pressing issues identified include the fight against organized crime and corruption, improving living standards and employment, as well as concerns about the healthcare and judicial systems.
Regarding institutional trust, religious communities rank the highest, followed by the education system, healthcare, and NGOs, while Parliament, the judiciary, and political parties rank at the bottom.
“More than half of the respondents (56.7%) believe that someone must be held accountable for the events of 1 January in Cetinje, indicating a strong sense of need for political and institutional responsibility. This view is not confined to a specific demographic or political group but represents a broader societal expectation. Responsibility is mainly attributed to state institutions and the Police Administration, with particular emphasis on the Minister of the Interior. This suggests that the public perceives this as not an isolated incident, but a systemic problem within the security apparatus“, said Daliborka Uljarević, Executive director of the CCE.
Total of 86% of citizens have heard about the protests initiated by the informal student group Kamo Śutra, and 17.4% report having participated in these protests or in protests held simultaneously in other cities. “This indicates that the protest potential is significantly higher than what has been observed through the actual number of people on the streets, a finding further reinforced by the fact that 61.1% of citizens support the demands put forward by Kamo Śutra student group“, Uljarević stated.
The most widely supported demands include improving mental health care and support, ensuring institutions act more efficiently and proactively on firearm-related issues, and initiating reforms in the functioning of police structures (around 60%). This is followed by the reintroduction of civic education as a mandatory subject in schools and calls for the prosecution and government to fully disclose all facts regarding the Cetinje crime(around 57-58%). Additionally, 48.2% support the resignation of the Minister of Internal Affairs, while 46.7% call for the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister for Security.
“A portion of citizens either does not believe that individual resignations would resolve the issue, or there is some political division on this issue.. However, the conclusion is that the protests, initially triggered by a specific tragedy, have evolved into a broader articulation of dissatisfaction with institutional functioning and the need for change“, Uljarević said.
MNE Pulse also measured the public’s attitude towards the protests in neighboring Serbia – nearly 3/5 of citizens in Montenegro (57.9%) support them, around 1/5 (22.4%) oppose them, and approximately the same number (19.6%) have no opinion.
“Only 38.2% of citizens report that their income covers the cost of living, which is a decrease compared to last year when 44.4% claimed this. At the same time, 46.4% of citizens report that they do not have enough funds, while 15.4% refused to answer, suggesting a decline in financial security among citizens“, said Vuk Čađenović.
Similar to the previous category, only 3.3% believe they are living “much better” than last year, 19.6% say they are living “a little better,” 47.0% report that their standard of living is “the same,” while 16.3% live “a little worse” and 13.8% “much worse,” which represents a slight deterioration in the overall perception of living standards compared to the previous wave.
“When it comes to the causes of high prices and inflation in Montenegro, nearly one-third attribute responsibility to all actors combined (the Government, retail chains, and global economic trends). However, when asked about individual responsibility, citizens most frequently point to retail chains and importers (27.5%), followed by the Government (18.8%), and global economic trends (17.5%),” stated Čađenović.
The performance of Milojko Spajić’s Government was rated 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 5, with approximately 40% of citizens stating that the Government’s performance falls below all expectations, 37.3% considering it to be in line with expectations, and only 5.5% believing it exceeds expectations.
Opinions on the work of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) are divided. Trust in the SDT’s ability to initiate proceedings against politicians suspected of violating the law has dropped to 22.9%, which is lower than in the past two years. At the same time, the perception that the SDT is influenced by politicians, limiting its work, has increased, with 24.9% of respondents holding this view – the highest since his appointment. However, the number of people who believe that proceedings are only being pursued against politically weak individuals has decreased from 40-50% to 29% today. Also, there is a record percentage (23.3%) of those who have no opinion on the SDT’s work.
Regarding the prosecution of abuse of power, 31.1% believe that institutions are focusing solely on cases from the period of the DPS, while only 10.4% believe they are taking a strict approach towards the new government structures. 28.6% believe both sides are under equal scrutiny, while 30% cannot decide – the highest percentage in this category to date.
Data collection was conducted using the CAPI method from 22 February to 3 March 2025, on a three-stage stratified random sample that included 1002 citizens of Montenegro.
MNE Pulse is a joint initiative of CCE and DAMAR, aimed at providing empirical data to support those engaged in the strategic democratic shaping of society, ensuring that decisions are made based on reliable data and thorough analysis, with citizens at the center. This approach enhances the quality of public debate on key issues while also increasing the accountability of all stakeholders.
Maja Marinović, Program Associate