Perception of Donors and Financial Institutions’ Investments: Expectations and Reality of 2020

Communications company Noblet Media, Edelman affiliate, in partnership with Info Sapiens research agency, presented a survey of the perception of international organizations by consumers in the countries where the companies operate. The survey is a part of an integrative survey of social and economic views of the middle and upper-middle class, conducted by Noblet Media and Info Sapiens in 2020. The study is aimed to present the portrait of the most active consumers, setting the tone for economic life in Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, and Uzbekistan.

“Over the last 10 years, Noblet Media has been working with international and local businesses, and international organizations. Now we are the implementers of several donor-funded projects, and it is crucial for us to track the shift in perception and trust towards major donor organizations by active consumers in the region. We acknowledge the importance of data-driven communications – being fully aware of the target audience’s behavior, goals, pain points, and challenges, we develop effective campaigns meeting their specific needs. With the economic collapse caused by pandemic and change of behavioral models in our major markets, we initiated the survey, searching for the most reliable ways to deliver key messages and work with the reputation of our partners”, said Evgeniya Pankratieva, CEO Noblet Media CIS.

The survey consists of 8 blocks, and the first one reveals the perception of donors and international organizations, as well as the national profiles of the target audiences. Here are the key findings of trust, perception, and assessment of the activity of donors and international organizations across the region:

• Trust to international organizations. Respondents in Georgia mostly trust the EU (59%), UNDP (53%) and USAID (51%). Ukrainians mostly trust all major international donors[1], giving the biggest level of credence to the EU (74%). So do Moldovans: 59% said they trust the EU. The UN agencies are mostly trusted by Azerbaijanis, Belarusians and Uzbeks: UNICEF (35%, 39% and 51%) and UNDP (44%, 42% and 39% of respondents in the mentioned countries). The World Bank is also most trusted donor by Uzbeks (51%) and Belarusians (53%).
• Major donors. In Ukraine (64%) and Georgia (45%) IMF is perceived as major donor. In Azerbaijan (51%) and Uzbekistan (65%) respondents believe the World Bank most often invests in their country and provides grant support. In Belarus – the EBRD (48%), while in Moldova and Georgia – the EU (54% and 44%), according to respondents’ opinion.
• Perception of donors’ investments. Respondents in all countries excluding Azerbaijan believe most investors and donors invest in the energy sector. In Azerbaijan, investments most often go to oil and gas sector, according to the opinion of 86% of respondents. Pharmaceutics and infrastructure are also among major invested sectors across the region: 38 and 49% of respondents in Uzbekistan and Moldova chose pharmaceutics, while 38% of Georgians said it is infrastructure. Machinery manufacturing closes top-5 most financed sectors in the region, according to the survey, with the biggest rate in Belarus (34%) and Uzbekistan (37%).
• Success of foreign investment. Respondents in all countries except for Azerbaijan and Moldova also think that investments in the energy sector are the most successful. In Azerbaijan, investments in oil and gas sectors are perceived as the most successful by 93%, while 70% of respondents in Moldova estimate investments in pharmaceutics as successful. Other successful investments were made in the ecology in Georgia (39%), education in Moldova (52%), pharmaceutics in Uzbekistan (41%), health care in Ukraine (25%), and machinery manufacturing in Belarus (39%).
• Value of reforms. Ukrainians most often show understanding that the Western donors promote useful reforms in their country – 44% believe it to be the main benefit from the investments. Belarusians and Moldovans have the least positive perception of the Western donors, comparing to other countries – 12% and 14% respectively told their countries have no benefits from investments, credits and grant support of international organizations.
• Perception of major donors. In Georgia, respondents consider the IMF and the EU major donors in almost equal proportions (45% and 44% respectively). IMF is perceived as major donor in Ukraine (64%). The World Bank takes leadership in Azerbaijan (51%) and Uzbekistan (65%). Respondents from Belarus believe that EBRD most often invests in their country (48%), while Moldovans (54%) consider the EU as major donor.
• Lack of communication. Citizens of all countries lack clear communication about the content of the financial programs of international donors, while the Ukrainians are the most informed public – 34% said they feel the financial programs are communicated clearly. Citizens of Belarus (77%), Moldova (77%) and Uzbekistan (78%) mostly feel the lack of communication.
• Trusted sources of information. Georgians (50%), Belarusians (50%) and Uzbeks (48%) choose social networking sites as the primary source of information about what’s happening in the country and abroad, while Ukrainians (60%), Azerbaijanis’ (53%) and Moldovans (60%) most often use media web sites to get the news.

 “The survey revealed that citizens of all 6 countries lack clear communication about the content of the financial programs of international donors. Yet, the Ukrainians are comparatively more informed public. Moreover, people in Ukraine demonstrate very good level of trust to international donors, and this indicator is much higher comparing to the other countries of the region. It means that the Ukrainian cases can bring effective working models to our international partners, and our experience of joint work with donors In Ukraine can be insightful for international organizations in such countries as Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan”, Inna Volosevych, Info Sapiens Deputy Director noted.

[1] The questionnaire included the following donors: European Union (EU); World Health Organization (WHO); World Bank; The International Monetary Fund (IMF); United Nations Development Program (UNDP); European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); European Investment Bank (EIB); United States Agency for International Development (USAID); The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB); Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA); The German Development Bank (KfW  Entwicklungsbank/KfW Development Bank); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO); Nordic Investment Bank (NIB); German Community for International Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit/GIZ); International Finance Corporation (IFC)