Dustin Gilbreath

37 Posts

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Dustin is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CRRC Georgia.

The devastating landslide in Shovi in August 2023. Photo: Netgazeti

Analysis

Datablog | Georgians are feeling the effects of climate change

by Dustin Gilbreath

•3 min read

The effects of climate change are increasingly being felt acutely in Georgia. A CRRC poll investigated Georgian people’s perception of climate change, and found that 90% of respondents considered it to be an important issue, and 75% had experienced changes in local weather patterns. Climate change is increasingly having catastrophic impacts around the world, from an increase in insect-borne infectious disease to a rise in deadly heatwaves, flooding, and storms. These impacts are also being

A pro-EU protest on Georgia's independence day, 26 May 2023. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media

Analysis

Datablog | Who expects that Georgia will receive candidate status?

by Dustin Gilbreath

•2 min read

A CRRC survey found that Georgians who want EU candidate status and those who feel positively about the EU are more optimistic about Georgia’s chances of joining the EU, along with older people and those not working in the private sector. On 8 November, the European Commission recommended that Georgia receive candidate status in the bloc. Polls conducted by CRRC Georgia prior to the announcement suggested that only 33% of Georgians believed that the country would obtain candidate status. P

Surveillance cameras on the Georgian Parliament building. Photo: Shota Kincha/OC Media.

Analysis

Datablog | Do Georgians feel like they are being spied on by the government?

by Dustin Gilbreath

•3 min read

Nearly half of the Georgian public think that they or their family members are under government surveillance at least some of the time. Georgia has consistently had controversies around surveillance over the past two political administrations, as both the United National Movement and Georgian Dream governments have had extensive access to communications. In September 2021, a massive cache of files allegedly belonging to the State Security Services (SSG) was leaked, causing a scandal in Georg

A supermarket in Tbilisi. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli/OC Media

Analysis

Datablog | What makes people feel insecure in Georgia?

by Dustin Gilbreath

•3 min read

A CRRC analysis found that Georgians who feel insecure in Georgia mostly attribute this to economic insecurity, but also express concern about a wider array of harder security issues. Georgia has faced numerous crises in recent years; from the pandemic, to the results of the war in Ukraine, via political controversy and uncertainty. It is consequently perhaps unsurprising that almost half the public is uncertain about how they will fare economically in five years’ time. This is reflected i

People at a rally in Tbilisi marking a month after the start of the war in Ukraine, 24 March 2022. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media

Analysis

Datablog | Who do Georgians blame for Russia’s war in Ukraine?

by Dustin Gilbreath

•4 min read

In the face of conflicting narratives about the causes of the war in Ukraine, most Georgians see Russia and Putin as responsible for the conflict, but a substantial minority lay the blame with the West. Since Russia invaded Ukraine slightly over a year ago, a war of words has erupted over who is to blame for the war, with the general consensus being that Russia needlessly invaded Ukraine. In contrast to this consensus, the Russian government has spread propaganda blaming Ukraine for the war

Georgians protesting the foreign agent draft law on 6 March 2023. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Analysis

Datablog | Is the Georgian government doing enough to secure EU membership?

by Dustin Gilbreath

•3 min read

CRRC Georgia data suggests that while the majority of Georgians want to join the EU, they are largely split along partisan lines on whether their government is doing enough to secure the country’s candidate status. Georgia has long stated that it aims to join both the European Union and NATO. However, the government’s recent actions, including campaigning for the foreign agent draft law, increasingly critical rhetoric on Ukraine, and the propagation of conspiracy theories suggesting that the W

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