Summary report on the public opinion poll on assessment of victimization among general population in the Republic of Armenia

The implementation of the public opinion poll aimed at evaluation of victimization among the general population and the results of its findings are an alternative valuable source along with the official statistics on crimes. Public opinion polls conducted on evaluation of victimization has effectively been applied in both the United States and many European countries long since, but no experience of such a large-scale survey ever occurred in the Republic of Armenia.

The methodology of the survey on victimization carried out among the general population of the Republic of Armenia, namely, the pilot public opinion poll, the actual public opinion poll, identification and computer processing of the obtained data, analysis of findings, representation of the findings in charts and tables, was developed in close cooperation with the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

As a result of the discussions, the following methodological approaches were considered:

• Direct opinion poll conducted among 5337 residents of all Republic of Armenia marzes and Yerevan. Based on the agreement reached, the opinion poll covered residents of two towns and two villages of each marz. As for Yerevan, it covered representatives from all the communities.
• The survey methodology was meticulously elaborated to ensure the utmost effectiveness of both the survey and interpretation of the survey findings.
• Reports on victimization carried out by the RA independent researchers were examined.

During the public opinion poll, the method of direct interviews was applied and a questionnaire developed earlier together with the OSCE Office in Yerevan was used. The public opinion poll was conducted among 5337 residents of the RA aging above 14.

The main objectives of the public opinion poll are as follows:

• evaluate the process of crime victimization;
• identify the scale of prevalence of crime victimization;
• evaluate the public’s level of personal safety perception;
• identify the public’s opinion on effectiveness of police work related to crime prevention;
• identify the factors leading to the public's victimization;
• clarify the possible changes that need to be urgently incorporated into different areas of public life, including in the activities of the state bodies with respect to prevention of crime victimization.