Young Serbs prefer the East to the West and do not condemn Russia for its role in the war in Ukraine, a recent survey conducted by the National Youth Council of Serbia has found.
When asked what foreign policy course Serbia should take, 43% believed that Serbia should maintain an equilibrium between the East and the West.
However, overall support for the West has decreased. When asked to choose, while 57% now favour the East compared to the 52% in last year’s survey, only 43% said they were pro-Western.
When asked about the war in Ukraine, more than half (55%) said that Serbia should not condemn Russia, or introduce sanctions. Only 19% of young people said that Serbia should join international sanctions against Russia if the consequences of not joining are too severe. Another 18% said that Serbia should condemn Russia officially, but not introduce sanctions against it.
Those surveyed were also asked about their thoughts on reintroducing military service for men. Forty-four per cent of the young people surveyed said they were in favour of a reintroduction, while 46% said they opposed such a move – last year, 46% supported such a move while 43% opposed it. The rest of the respondents had no opinion on the matter.
