When respondents hear the word “TITO,” the most common association is not a person but a state: “Yugoslavia” (26) and “SFRJ” (11) dominate the list. This is followed by emotions and symbols—“childhood,” “peace,” “prosperity,” “relay baton,” “red passport”—but also sharp counter-tones: “criminal,” “totalitarianism,” “deception,” “Goli Otok,” “Serbian downfall.” The image is therefore dual: Tito is simultaneously a memory of security and a label for repression.
When the focus shifts from emotions to policy evaluations, nostalgia becomes more measurable. In the “system” domains (healthcare, education, the economy), Tito receives overwhelmingly positive ratings: healthcare 83.51% positive (48.94% very positive + 34.57% positive), education 80.32% positive, the economy 78.20% positive. Interethnic relations are rated similarly (81.28% positive), while foreign policy is virtually the crown: 82.35% positive, including 62.03% “very positive.” The Non-Aligned Movement also remains a strong symbol: 79.23% positive.
However, the key break appears on freedoms and pluralism. Media freedom is rated negatively by a majority: 52.44% negative (25.95% negative + 26.49% very negative). The same applies to the treatment of political dissidents: 61.83% negative. Attitudes toward churches are also predominantly negative—especially toward the Serbian Orthodox Church (57.84% negative).
The most sensitive point is perceptions of his attitude toward Serbs: positive (46.77%) and negative (36.56%) are relatively close, with a solid share of “no opinion” (16.67%)—suggesting that part of the sample does not see Tito as a “national” leader but as a “state” leader, while another part recognises him as a source of injustice and identity erosion.
Asked whether they would support a politician “like Tito” today, 45.60% say yes, 26.94% say no, and as many as 22.80% are unsure. This may be the most important finding: nostalgia does not automatically mean a desire to restore the model, but rather a search for “state results” without paying the price of authoritarianism.
Methodological note: the survey was conducted on 3 May 2015 on an online sample (N=193). The sample is self-selected and not representative of Serbia’s population; the findings reflect the views of survey participants at that time.