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Public affairs responsibility
The state should create our destiny!
Saso Klekovski
The report “Citizens’ social responsibility” results from the need to check citizens’ responsibility in wider terms. The report enables insight into citizens’ attitude on responsibility about relevant social issues, their (citizens’) legal, moral and ideological responsibility towards the community and wider towards the society. Citizens’ habits and procedures in terms of some issues can be realized through various indicators.
Responsibility for public affairs and altruism
Public responsibility can be legal, ethical, moral or based on religion or belief (ideological). It can refer to the government (good governance), companies (social or public responsibility of companies) or citizens (citizens’ responsibility).
This research refers to citizens’ social responsibility in wider terms. It consists of two elements: public spirit and citizens’ responsibility or citizens’ participation (Civicus, 2004).
Chart 1.
Who is the most responsible for citizens’ support in solving their social needs?
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State |
52.9% |
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Together the state, business sector and citizens |
33.9% |
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Citizens themselves |
4.2% |
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Companies |
2.2% |
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I do not have any attitude |
6.8% |
In terms of attitudes on responsibility for public affairs, citizens consider the state to be the most responsible for solving social needs, trust in solidarity is increased and the new development and asking for responsibility by the state are considered to be the solution for social needs. Citizens have low awareness of their own civic responsibility and the need for their participation. There is a gap in the perception of responsibility, moving from general to concrete attitudes.
Majority of citizens (52.9%) consider the state to be the most responsible for solving social needs. Expectations of the state are on the last year level. This results from the state culture (state socialism). There are not any ideological differences in terms of the role of the state, citizens and private sector, between the sympathizers of the political right wing or left wing in Macedonia.
The trust in citizens’ solidarity has increased to 39.3% from 26.4% in the previous year.
Ways of solving social needs
There is high concordance (92.1%) that the new development, employment and citizens’ qualifications are the solution to the problems. 74.9% believe in asking for responsibility by the state and the effect of public policies, while minority of citizens (38.9%) believe in social and humanitarian help as a solution to public affairs. Such attitudes by the public can be supporting for bigger attention of the new development, opposed to the social help.
Chart 2.
Social needs can be solved as follows:
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New development, employment and citizens’ qualifications |
92.1% |
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Asking for responsibility by the state and public policies’ effect |
74.9% |
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Social and humanitarian help for groups in need |
38.9% |
Citizens’ participation
A small minority of citizens have attitudes about their own civic responsibility and participation. It is in correlation with feeling the state as the most responsible for public affairs. If social responsibility is analyzed in closer terms without responsibility for rule of law, the support for citizens’ responsibility and participation is for the minority of citizens. There are big gaps between the statements about civic responsibility and reality.
If 88.7% of the citizens think there is responsibility for obeying the laws, within public spirit it is reduced to 74.2% or from 57.8% to 80.8% for responsibility for concrete legal obligations (tax, paying bills etc.). The gap with reality is probably much bigger.
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Obey laws/legal obligations |
88.7% |
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Voluntarily give (give charities) |
51.1% |
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Voluntarily take part in the community’s activities |
40.3% |
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Take part in political non-party activities |
35.0% |
Public spirit
Macedonia, in spite of the small improvement (taxes), has a low to moderate level of public spirit, expressed through the justification for non-paying tax, public transport, public utilities and looking for privileges by the Government for which citizens are not entitled to.
There is support by a big majority of citizens for paying tax (80.8%), public transport (79.9%) and public utilities (78.4%).
The support of taxpaying is in mild increase in terms of the 2004 survey.
There is smaller support, although still by the majority of citizens (57.8%) for not requiring privileges by the government for which there is not a legal basis.
In this sphere the number of citizens who think that privileges should be required from the government for which they are not entitled, is increased.
The public spirit, that is support, is homogenous.
A bit smaller support give the citizens with primary education, for not paying taxes (65.2%) and (not)requiring privileges by the government (43.5%).
There is also the question about calling on open phone lines for complaints (for breaking the law).
The number of those who have called is 25%, which supports the previous attitudes for justification or non-justification for breaking the law.
Table 1
Gap between the attitudes and reality concerning civic responsibility and participation
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Responsibility |
Indicator |
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Public spirit |
88.7% |
74.2% |
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Participation in non-party political activities |
35% |
17.8% |
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Involvement in the civil society organizations |
40.3% |
17% |
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Volunteering activity in the community |
41.4% |
15.6% |
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Voluntarily donating |
51.1% |
64.6% | |
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