Public opinion appears divided regarding who bears responsibility for the scandal at the Saint Habakkuk Monastery.
This is evident in the extensive survey conducted by Philenews in collaboration with the research company Prime Market Research and Consulting Ltd.
In the nationwide survey, which involved more than 3,000 visitors to our website and ultimately resulted in 2,858 successfully completed questionnaires, responsibility is attributed almost equally to the monks of the Monastery of Saint Habakkuk and bishop Isaiah of Tamassos.
Specifically, 57% attributed the responsibility to the monks, while 56% did so to bishop Isaiah of Tamassos.
This suggests that based on what has been revealed to the public so far, the common opinion is that both the monks and the bishop bear responsibility.
It should be clarified that in this specific question, respondents had the right to give more than one answer.
This justifies the almost identical percentages. It is also noteworthy that few had no opinion (only 5%), while 6% answered “the Church” in general, 1% “None”, and 4% “Other”.
The age distribution of those who responded for one or the other, i.e., the monks or the bishop, shows age deviation.
Younger respondents generally stated that the monks bear the responsibility, while as the age category increased, those who believed that the bishop bears responsibility also increased.
Specifically, in the age category 18-24, 74% stated that the monks held responsibility and 44% that the bishop did.
In the age category 25-34, 71% believe that the monks are responsible, and 59% blame the bishop.
In contrast, in the 65+ age category, 57% believe the responsibility lies with the bishop, and only 48% with the monks.
In the age category 45-54, there is parity, with 58% blaming the monks and 58% the bishop.
The society’s concerns and the need for a full clarification of the matter are also reflected in the question “How do you evaluate the stance of the Holy Synod regarding the scandals at the Monastery of Saint Habakkuk?”
In this question too, the 2,858 individuals who successfully completed the questionnaire appear divided.
Specifically, 44% seem to agree with the stance of the Holy Synod, and 40% disagree.
In detail, they answered as follows: Strongly agree 15%, Agree 29%, Strongly disagree 20%, Disagree 20%, No opinion 16%.
In this question, most of those who agree with the Holy Synod are recorded in the older age categories (65+ overall 54%, 55-64 overall 52%), while the majority in the younger age groups disagree (18-24 overall 39%, 25-34 overall 41%, 35-44 overall 41%).
The highest level of indecisiveness was recorded in younger groups (18-24 30%, 25-34 24%, 35-44 22%).
Research Identity
- Sample size: 2,858 successful interviews
- Coverage: Nationwide
- Sampling: Online
- Participants: Visitors to the Philenews website
- Data collection period: 22/03/2024 – 26/03/2024
- Margin of error: +/-2% (95% confidence interval)
