NI academic carries out Serb/Kosovo 'peace poll'

NI academic has presented the findings of a public opinion 'peace poll' carried out in a bid to encourage dialogue between Kosovar Albanians and Serbs in one of the most volatile parts of Europe.

Dr Colin Irwin, a Visiting Research Fellow in the Queen's Institute of Governance, Public Policy and Social Research and a Northern Ireland polling expert, carried out the survey to find out what the people believe needs to be done to bring lasting peace and stability to their region. He presented the survey findings recently in Belgrade and Pristina.

Dr Irwin travelled for over a month in Serbia and Kosova to develop questions for the public opinion poll. The questionnaire was administered to 1,200 people from Serbia and 1,200 people from Kosovo to give representative samples in terms of age, gender, social class, political and ethnic affiliation.

"The survey approach taken that extended across the political spectrum to all the major parties, civil society and the public at large helped to build a consensus for the Belfast Agreement that led to a successful referendum and subsequent period of increasing stability and peace," Dr Irwin said.

"The Northern Ireland methods can and have been applied successfully elsewhere. The poll implemented in Kosova and Serbia used a unique methodology that proved successful in the peace process in Northern Ireland."

The poll results, available in an article entitled, 'Coming to Terms with the Problem of Kosovo: The Peoples' Views from Kosovo and Serbia', exposes what the citizens of this area really think, and most importantly, what are the areas around which consensus can be built.

The opinion poll is part of a project entitled, The Albanian Serb Information Exchange Forum, by the Centre for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe, KosovaLive in Pristina, and Beta Media Center in Belgrade.

(MB/SP)