Within the framework of the project “Advancing Environmental Justice in North Macedonia”, which is provided by the UNDP Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development, in the period from 15 August to 13 September 2024, three surveys were conducted on the topic of “Environmental Justice”, namely: a public opinion survey, a business sector opinion survey, and a non-governmental sector opinion survey. The public opinion survey aimed to examine the level of knowledge of the terms “environmental justice” and “ecocide”, the perception regarding the most important environmental problems in the country and their immediate surroundings, the perception of the efficiency and fairness of the legislation and judiciary, the awareness regarding the competent institutions for solving environmental problems, the interest and awareness of topics and issues related to environmental protection, as well as their personal experience and involvement in seeking solutions to environmental issues.
In addition to health and education, environmental protection is one of the three most current topics citizens are interested in. Among them, younger citizens are more curious, as are those with a higher level of education and higher monthly incomes for their families. The awareness or importance of environmental issues is also evidenced by the citizens’ support for environmentally responsible practices, namely more than three-quarters of them, if they had the opportunity to choose, would choose to buy a product that harms the environment less, putting environmental well-being before economic growth.