“The pro-European electorate is the most aggressive and intolerant in Moldova” – sociologist Doru Petruti
Most of the discrepancies and gaps in logic are observed among the pro-European electorate, and it is precisely this segment of society that is the most intolerant and aggressive. This is the opinion expressed by sociologist Doru Petruți (pictured), head of the Moldovan sociological research center IMAS, which conducts public opinion polls in Moldova.
This was reported by noi.md, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
" Politicians, unfortunately, are trying to scare the electorate. You segment, divide, don't follow big ideas and plans, capitalize on how bad your opponent is, exploit fears, and all of these elements are significantly amplified by social media. The most intolerant, most aggressive electorate is, without a doubt, the pro-European one ," he emphasized.
According to the sociologist, there were generally quite a lot of aggressive manifestations among supporters of joining Romania.
" We see the biggest discrepancies and gaps between what people say and what they actually do among the right-wing, pro-European electorate. Unfortunately, we see this intolerance among media representatives as well. Just take the main television channels that generate audiences, independent or not, and analyze their guest lists, which are 90% government officials," said Doru Petrucci.
According to his assessment, this phenomenon causes people to feel distrustful and hide their true political choice during surveys.
"To conduct the same number of surveys, we have to visit a large number of homes, because more and more people refuse to answer our questions. It's clear that this phenomenon is linked to certain segments of society that dislike the government. This phenomenon is called the 'spiral of silence.' When people see a different opinion in the media and react to it with aggression, they hide their own version and somehow withdraw from this social game."
What's happening in the elections? In the local elections, we saw that the Action and Solidarity party didn't get the 49% they predicted in the polls, but they did receive somewhere under 30% of the political votes in the council. That's quite a difference, but even the actual polls slightly overestimated the ruling party's capabilities . Unfortunately, this isn't due to sociology. It's a question of the masses," added Doru Petrucci.
According to him, the overwhelming majority of Moldova's population does not want narratives related to foreign policy, war, and so on , but wants discussions of domestic issues.
"We're in an exceptional situation right now, because our president constantly avoids important domestic issues . We have a president who has been and continues to be protected by a highly 'independent' press that doesn't put the president in difficult situations, and I don't see any serious topic on its agenda.
"I'm not referring to all the meetings, awards presentations, and tree plantings. I'm referring to the fact that, during his four-year mandate, not a single serious issue, such as poverty, migration, or food prices, has been addressed . These are the main issues the president should be addressing, not statements and slogans," the sociologist concluded.
English version :: Read in English "The pro-European electorate is the most aggressive and intolerant in Moldova" – sociologist Doru Petruți