An online survey from August 2015 suggests that the Kosovo negotiations were followed more closely than one might assume: 41.74% of respondents say they followed the Brussels talks very intensively, and another 23.39% intensively. Only 4.13% report not following them at all.
Serbian media stand out as the main source of information (38.59%), but every sixth respondent also mentions documents related to the negotiations (15.53%) or Albanian media (15.29%), pointing to a search for “the other side” and for more detailed information.
Reactions to the agreements on the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (ZSO/ASM), telecommunications, energy, and freedom of movement across the Ibar bridge are predominantly negative: 29.82% feel disappointed, 20.19% angry/furious, and 8.26% sad. Relief is reported by 13.76%, satisfaction by 9.63%, while “happiness” is mentioned by 1.83%.
Respondents view the overall balance of the negotiations pessimistically: 59.63% consider Serbia the “loser,” and only 3.67% see it as the winner. Individual points of the agreement are also more often perceived as contrary to the interests of Serbs in Kosovo: freedom of movement over the bridge (55.04% mostly/completely against), energy (53.21%), the ZSO/ASM (46.79%), and telecommunications (44.04%).
A particularly strong impression is that of “silent recognition”: 48.17% say that Serbia, through the agreement, effectively recognized Kosovo’s independence, and another 29.82% say it did so partially. Two thirds do not believe that life in Serbia will improve after the Kosovo issue is resolved (66.97%), nor that Serbs in Kosovo will live better (61.93%).
According to these responses, the negotiations also cost political leaders: a negative shift in attitudes toward Vučić is reported by 50.46% of respondents, toward Vulin by 55.05%, and toward Nikolić and Dačić by 47.25% each. In such an environment, electoral distance grows: 22.02% would not vote, 10.55% would spoil their ballot, and 9.63% do not know whom they would vote for.
Methodological note: The survey was conducted online (August 2015) with 193 responses. The sample is self-selected, with a higher share of respondents from northern Kosovo (37.61%), so the findings are not representative of the overall population.