Kosovo – what do citizens know, think and feel?

Although majority of Serbian citizens trusts the Government and supports the agreement that would resolve the Kosovo issue, half of them are not aware of what is the end goal in negotiations with Pristina. Only one fifth thinks that the goal is to preserve territorial integrity of Serbia (in line with UN SC Resolution 1244) whereas half believes this to be the ideal outcome of negotiations as well. However, predominantly negative opinion of Kosovo Albanians among the Serbian citizens, coupled with doubts regarding positive outcomes of the dialogue and the possibility of obtaining a long-lasting peace among Serbs and Albanians in the Balkans, show the existence of cognitive dissonance. In other words, citizens have a strong desire of returning Kosovo, but would not accept Kosovo Albanians having any prominent roles in public life in Serbia.

The existence of these contradictory ideas can be traced throughout time: Serbian citizens support the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue but cannot imagine a peaceful coexistence between Serbs and Albanians; they show support for the agreements reached in Brussels and Washington, but do not see any benefits from them, etc.

Data clearly shows significant soft power in the hands of the Serbian Government and their ability to affect and shape public opinion of the citizens, especially when taking into account that a significant majority (64%) predominantly relies on television for information, particularly on RTS (public broadcaster). Therefore, the Government obviously has the tools to influence citizens and gain their unwavering trust, yet these are not used to normalize relations between the two communities and the peoples.