Clear skies and green spaces: Yerevan residents pinpoint city`s biggest challenges - Poll
ArmInfo. Yerevan residents have named air pollution/environmental issues as the main problem of the Armenian capital, as evidenced by the results of a survey carried out by the consulting company MPG "Discoteka Avaria!" Air pollution and environmental concerns have emerged as the primary grievances for residents of the Armenian capital. According to the latest survey conducted by the MPG consulting company "Discoteka Avaria," Yerevan's population is increasingly focused on the city's ecological health.
When asked to name the main problem of Yerevan, 29.6% named air pollution/environmental issues, 26.5%- traffic jams, 22.6%- poor road conditions, 13.6% - garbage collection, 15% - public transportation, 8.7% - snow removal, 7.8% - city cleanliness, 6%- rising prices, and 4.7% named problems related to the new transportation payment system. Other factors cited included haphazard construction, socioeconomic problems, growing crime rates, rising transportation costs, unemployment, low wages and pensions, low education levels, stray dogs, and poor healthcare. 11.5% gave a different answer, while another 9.5% found it difficult to answer.
When asked to name positive changes in Yerevan, 26.6% of respondents stated they see no positive changes at all, 11.1% found it difficult to answer, 7.0% pointed to the introduction of new buses, 12.1% noted road repaving efforts, 10.6% cited better waste management organization, 10.1% saw improvements in residential courtyards and 8.7% highlighted the improved condition of city parks.
When asked what they would like the Yerevan authorities to do, 52.2% of respondents were in favor of increasing green spaces and planting trees, 32.9% - increasing children's events, 31.6% - cleaning the city/organizing cleanup days, 30% - building playgrounds, 25.1% - organizing cultural events, 20.1% - organizing sports events, 4% - organizing youth events, 8.8% - gave another answer, and another 3.8% were unable to answer.
It should be noted that the survey was conducted via telephone calls to Yerevan residents between January 19 and 23 of this year. The sample size was 601, with a margin of error of +/- 3.8%. In 2011, MPG became the official representative in Armenia of the Gallup International Association, one of the most prestigious and independent public opinion research organizations in the world. Since 2003, MPG, has operated in the sociological and marketing research market, completing over 800 projects of various scales.