Almost half (46%) of Ukraine’s population see the need for an early presidential election and just over half (54%), for early parliamentary elections this year, according to the findings of a poll conducted by the Ukrainian Institute of the Future (UIF) on January 27-February 5. Corruption was the most cited reason (49%) for such negative attitudes, and unprofessionalism was cited by 27% of respondents, according to the findings unveiled at an Interfax-Ukraine press conference on Thursday.
Respondents in the west tend to see corruption as the main obstacle to development; in the east, unprofessionalism and outside control are seen as the biggest problem. Asked where their country is heading to, 74% said “in the wrong direction” and only 14% said the opposite.
A survey of confidence in statesmen and politicians showed 48% distrusting current President Volodymyr Zelensky.
If a presidential election were to be held this Sunday, he would be favored by 18.4% of respondents. That is a drop from 29.2% in June 2020.
On the other hand, his possible rivals Petro Poroshenko and Yuriy Boiko would fare worse, with 11.4% and 9.5%, respectively.
President Zelensky’s disapproval rating also dropped since June 2020. When asked “Which candidate would you not vote for under any circumstances?” 17.8% said the incumbent; the figures for Poroshenko, Viktor Medvedchuk, Boiko and Yulia Tymoshenko were 24.8%, 10.3%, 9% and 6.5%, respectively.
At the same time, Zelensky remains the most trusted politician, with 12% trusting him fully.
Were a parliamentary election held this Sunday, 15.8% of all respondents would vote for the Opposition Platform – For Life, 13.1% for Servant of the People (a significant drop from 27.1% since last June), 11.8% for European Solidarity, and 8.6% for Batkyvschyna.
At the same time, a survey of disapproval ratings of the parliamentary parties found that under no circumstances would 22% vote for European Solidarity, 17.8% for Opposition Platform – For Life, and 15.6% for Servant of the People.
Data suggest that confidence in local authorities was higher overall than in the central government. A quarter (26%) of respondents said their local authorities represented the interests of the population; 35%, the interests of local elites, and 27%, the interests of big business. The highest level of confidence was in mayors, at 48%.
The most trusted institution is the army (53%), followed by mass media (34%) and national police (31%). The least trusted were anti-corruption agencies: National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor (SAPO), 10% each, and the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court (8%).
When asked “What could raise the efficiency of authority?” 39% were inclined for its full reset with young and competent people with no experience in politics but in other areas. A third (34%) wants to see a strong leader, 19% want the current central government to be reinforced with new professionals and 17%, with experienced professionals who were in government before.
The face-to-face survey of sociopolitical sentiments was conducted among 2,400 respondents aged 18 and older by the UIF in conjunction with New Image Marketing Group in every region (except the temporarily uncontrolled territories).
