As the political crisis in Georgia unfolds, non-governmental organization activists are in the forefront of the protest movement, condemning the government’s reliance on repressive tactics, including widespread arrests and police brutality. At the same time, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claims NGO activists are the purveyors of “liberal fascism” and are responsible for fanning “violent demonstrations.”

Polling data from recent years, compiled under the auspices of the Caucasus Barometer, a project undertaken by the Caucasus Research Resource Center-Georgia, indicates that government efforts to discredit NGO activity are influencing public opinion. Analysis of Caucasus Barometer statistics gathered from 2021 and 2024 shows that the percentage of citizens who view Georgian NGOs negatively has increased.

Whereas the 2021 Caucasus Barometer showed that 23 percent of Georgians distrusted NGOs, the percentage rose to 32 percent in 2024. In both years, the percentage of Georgians whose attitude toward NGOs was positive remained relatively constant, coming in at 22 percent in 2024. In that same poll, 46 percent of respondents had neutral views about NGOs, or did not have an opinion, down from 56 percent in 2021. 

The data shows attitudes are becoming more polarized. It may well be the case that amid the current confrontation, the percentage of neutral Georgians regarding NGO activity could decline sharply. It is too early to tell which way public attitudes may break.

Georgians’ increasing skepticism of NGO activity has occurred amid a hostile discourse involving government officials and NGO representatives. Since gaining power in 2012, the ruling Georgian Dream party has aggressively targeted NGO representatives who criticized government policies. Officials have portrayed NGO activists as working to undermine traditional Georgian values and impose Western concepts on society that, they say, are out of sync with Georgia’s cultural traditions.

The reliance of many Georgian NGOs on US and EU funding sources helps fuel a government narrative that foreign governments are using activists to re-engineer Georgian society. In February 2023, Georgian Dream first attempted to introduce a “foreign agents” law, which requires NGOs and independent media receiving 20 percent or more of their funding from abroad to register as “foreign agents,” and meet onerous reporting requirements. The government succeeded in adopting the law earlier in 2024. For the better part of the last two years, officials have repeatedly accused NGOs of attempting to instigate revolutions in Georgia and sowing political discord on behalf of their Western donors. 

Young people’s increasing distrust of NGOs

Despite active protests against the “foreign agents” law in 2023 and 2024, young Georgians between 18 and 34 have become significantly more skeptical of NGOs. In 2021, 16 percent of the young respondents expressed distrust toward NGOs. In 2024, the percentage almost doubled, reaching 31 percent. The percentage of young Georgians who hold positive opinions of NGOs increased slightly from 24 percent to 26 percent between 2021 and 2024. The youth’s attitude toward NGOs has become significantly more polarized. 

Georgian youth’s engagement with NGOs remains very low. Only 6 percent of young respondents said they participate in activities organized by NGOs. None of the young people who distrust NGOs have participated in NGO activities. 

Youth opinion on NGOs is most likely informed by external sources rather than personal experience. Almost two-thirds of young Georgians list social media and the Internet as their primary source of information about current affairs. Although Georgian NGOs utilize the Internet and social media to boost their visibility, these platforms contain a proliferation of mis- and disinformation, exacerbating the polarization trend. The younger generation’s high online presence increases susceptibility to disinformation campaigns. 

NGOs and attitudes toward international institutions

Those Georgians who distrust international institutions have a stronger tendency to distrust NGOs. At the same time, there is no evident correlation between Georgians’ perception of the Georgian Dream-dominated parliament and distrust toward NGOs. In 2024, 42 percent of those who fully distrust the parliament expressed distrust toward NGOs, while 38 percent of those who fully trust the parliament expressed distrust toward NGOs. 

There appears to be a strong correlation between distrust toward NGOs and the EU. Among 2024 Caucasus Barometer respondents who fully distrust the EU, an overwhelming 71 percent also fully distrust NGOs. Out of those who fully trust the EU, only 18 percent distrust NGOs. A strong correlation also exists between distrust of NGOs and distrust of NATO, with 67 percent of Georgians who fully distrust NATO and 21 percent of those who fully trust NATO, respectively, distrusting NGOs. 

NGOs and Media 

Polling data suggests government efforts to tighten its control over mass media is helping to reshape public attitudes toward NGO activity. 

In Georgia, television remains the primary medium through which the public obtains information about current affairs. The distrust of NGOs is higher among viewers of pro-government media. 39 percent and 37 percent respectively of Georgians who trust the pro-government Imedi and Rustavi 2 distrust NGOs, as opposed to the 19 percent and 6 percent of the pro-opposition channels Mtavari arkhi and Formula. 

The audience of pro-government media also saw greater growth in their distrust of NGOs. In 2021, 21 percent of Georgians who trusted Imedi distrusted NGOs. In 2024, the percentage rose to 39 percent. In contrast, Mtavari arkhi audience distrusting NGOs rises from 16 percent to 19 percent. 

According to the 2024 Caucasus Barometer, 84 percent of Georgians who trust POSTV, a pro-government TV channel dedicated to criticizing the West and the government’s liberal oppositions, distrust NGOs. 

Public Broadcasting is a publicly funded independent media legally obliged to provide balanced news coverage. Between 2021 and 2024, the percentage of NGO skeptics among Georgians who trust the Public Broadcaster increased dramatically, from 27 percent to 49 percent. Despite its legal obligation, the Public Broadcaster has been criticized for its pro-government bias, having discontinued talk shows open to opposition voices. 

In 2023, the government modified the Law on Broadcasting, changing the Public Broadcaster’s funding model and assuming increased oversight of its content.