NGO casa research: A deep divide between the Serbian and Albanian communities, high levels of ethnic distance

The non-governmental organization Casa presented today, at the Barabar Center in Pristina, its Research on the State of Ethnic Relations in Kosovo. The Trust Index outlines the key factors influencing relations between Serbs and Albanians and the prospects for improving those relations.

According to the Casa survey, which included 300 Serbs and 500 Albanians from Kosovo, as many as 51.7 percent of Serbian respondents expect relations between Serbs and Albanians to deteriorate, while 28.7 percent of Albanian respondents share that view.

A large number of respondents highlight media propaganda as a driver of tensions, as well as political tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.

Among Serbian respondents, 61.8 percent identified nationalism as a driver of conflict, while 77.4 percent of Albanian respondents see differing views of the wartime past as a source of tension. 

Additionally, 62.9 percent of Serbian respondents believe that autonomy for the Serbian community would contribute to achieving peace, while 44.7 percent of Albanian respondents believe that the integration of Serbs into Kosovo society is important for peace.

Regarding trust in international actors in Kosovo—including KFOR, EULEX, UNMIK, and the OSCE—a large number of Albanian respondents expressed trust, whereas trust among Serbs in international institutions is low, with many respondents remaining neutral.

As many as 82.4 percent of Albanian respondents identify Serbian media as a driver of tension, while 79.6 percent point to the Government of Serbia.

A similar situation is seen among Serbs: 77.2 percent of Serbian respondents view Albanian media as a driver of conflict, while 74.5 percent point to the Government of Kosovo.

The survey also shows high levels of ethnic distance: 36.6 percent of Albanian respondents and 26.4 percent of Serbian respondents would not accept any form of contact with members of the other community.

Before presenting the Trust Index, the Director of Casa, Miodrag Marinkovic, noted that numbers and charts are hardly needed to observe that ethnic relations have worsened in recent years.

“We know that in the past few years ethnic relations in Kosovo have drastically deteriorated. Intolerance and hatred have become part of political strategy. It is clear that these divisions are not spontaneous but are maintained as tools and instruments for internal political games on both sides—both in Belgrade and in Pristina. But you will see that these studies can teach us something, namely how populist politics evolves into everyday life and into people’s attitudes toward the reconciliation process,” Marinkovic said.

Presenting the report, political scientist Ognjen Gogic emphasized that the Trust Index shows a clear divide between the Albanian and Serbian communities.

“We see a mismatch—a gap—in perspectives. Among Serbs there is greater pessimism; propaganda and political tensions are seen as major drivers of conflict, though responsibility is attributed differently. Human rights and the rule of law are jointly recognized as avenues to build reconciliation, but there is visible tension regarding questions of autonomy and the integration of the Serbian community. International actors are rated more positively by the Albanian community than by the Serbian one, although among Serbs—compared to last year—greater neutrality is seen. And we also see that ethnic distance remains very high,” Gogic said.

The Executive Director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Kosovo (YIHR), Marigona Shabiju, emphasized that when discussing the research, it is important to consider the timing in which it was conducted.

“We see, for example, how the situation in 2023 and the attack in Banjska affected ethnic relations on the ground, increasing tensions and polarization between the communities and deepening the gap between Serbs and Albanians. Furthermore, the measures taken by Kosovo institutions regarding the closure of Serbian institutions have directly harmed the most vulnerable parts of that community without offering security, support, or any alternative in return. All of this contributed to the results we see,” Shabiju said.

The Director of the Musine Kokalari Institute, Visar Imeri, highlighted the importance of such research.

“It is important to measure trends and see how people’s views evolve over time, especially regarding political developments. We must be careful when conducting such research, particularly concerning incidents and tensions, because these influence how people think and they tend to respond more to immediate events than to their long-term views. In Kosovo, we must be especially cautious about two things: first, interethnic relations; and second, the relationship between the Serbian community and other non-majority communities with the Government of Kosovo. These are not necessarily the same—if there is mistrust of Kosovo’s institutions among the Serbian community, this should not automatically be interpreted as ethnic hostility. Despite everything that has happened, we have not had tensions at the level of everyday citizens,” Imeri said.

The Editor-in-Chief of Radio Gorazdevac, Darko Dimitrijevic, stressed that responsibility for such a Trust Index is shared by many.

“I congratulate you on an important document which, in my opinion, reflects the real situation in Kosovo. I think this is the case because we are all somewhat responsible. When I say ‘all,’ I mean the political elites of both Serbs and Albanians, the official authorities in Belgrade and Pristina, and a significant part of the responsibility also lies with the international community. Official representatives of the Government of Kosovo have blamed Serbs for many issues, especially in the north. I personally asked when dialogue with those people would begin… There has been no substantive communication. On the other hand, we have the official Belgrade, where over the past year almost every problem has been blamed either on Croats or on Albanians. The entire international community is observing this toxic communication with indifference,” Dimitrijevic said.