Conducting Regional Public Opinion Surveys on Cybercrime Reporting and Online Security

We recently started working on a new project aiming to support Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine in shaping future policies, strategies, and capacity-building responses on cybercrime, cybersecurity, and electronic evidence in the near-to-medium-term.

We, as a contractor of the Council of Europe in Georgia, will work to conduct a regional opinion survey on cybercrime reporting and online security in Georgia. The survey will assess the attitudes, concerns, and expectations of individuals, enterprises, the general population, and professionals regarding cybercrime and cybersecurity topics, and will identify the groups most vulnerable to cybercrime.

In order to achieve the objectives, the team will conduct quantitative research on two main target groups: individuals and enterprises. Moreover, qualitative research will be carried out using focus groups (FGs) designed to get qualitative feedback from the relevant stakeholders, with comprehensive research reports then prepared based on the results. 

The survey results will be shared only with the respective countries to further contribute to other reporting efforts and to shape future policies, strategies, and capacity-building responses on cybercrime, cybersecurity, and electronic evidence in the near- and medium-term.

“Evidence-based policy development is crucially important in every socio-economic field, while it is especially relevant in the context of cybersecurity and Georgian public policy. Although relevant frameworks are in place in Georgia, there is limited evidence demonstrating if and how public opinion is considered in the Government’s decisions, strategies, and policy discussion. The public opinion surveys to be conducted by PMCG in the scope of the EU-CoE CyberEast and CybersecurityEast projects will provide a clear and objective picture of Georgian society’s perceptions of cybersecurity and cybercrime threats to help guide the authorities in this area. Moreover, survey results will serve as proof of concept for cybersecurity specialists, researchers, and field experts”, said Nata Goderdzishvili, consultant at PMCG.

The project “Regional Public Opinion Surveys on Cybercrime Reporting and Online Security,” organized by CyberEast, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and CybersecurityEast, funded by the European Union, is being carried out in five countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.