New Survey Shows Most Ukrainians Give Poroshenko a Big Thumbs Down

The key findings of the 25th IFES annual survey in Ukraine, conducted in September 2015, have been published on the foundation's official website. Here are some of the more interesting insights.

More than half of all Ukrainians (56%) believe the country is headed in the wrong direction while only 20 percent believe it is headed in the right direction.

The view that the country is headed in the wrong direction is widely shared across the country with a majority in each region voicing this opinion, and in no region do more than 28 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction.

In a survey IFES conducted in September 2014, the figures were slightly lower for those who felt it was headed in the wrong direction – 42% and slightly higher for those believing it was headed in the right direction – 34%.

The survey also revealed the “gradual decline in confidence in political leaders.”

62 percent of those surveyed lack confidence in President Poroshenko, with just 32 expressing confidence in their leader.

This is strikingly lower than last year, when 69 percent expressed confidence in him in the September 2014 IFES survey.

Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has suffered from a similar decline in confidence, from 60 percent in September 2014 to 20 percent in this survey.

The head of UDAR, Klichko, has fallen from 43 percent in September 2014 to 25 percent in this survey.

The survey further finds that while most Ukrainians do not believe the aspirations of the Maidan have been adequately addressed by Ukrainian leaders.

The survey data indicates that the lack of positive changes expected to come into force after Maidan, combined with the economic situation in the country have contributed to a consistent, slow erosion in the initial positive momentum that was seen in Ukrainian public opinion on heightened hopes for political and social reform.

Given previous trends in public opinion in Ukraine, there is a danger that unless significant, concerted efforts are put in place to address issues of importance to Ukrainians, the momentum for meaningful reform as desired by the Ukrainian public may be lost and followed by the kind of cynicism and political disengagement that characterized public opinion in Ukraine before Maidan, the survey states.

The survey also finds that almost half of Ukrainians believe that the country would better off with closer political and economic relations with Europe than with Russia.

Overall, 49 percent believe that Ukraine would be better off with closer relations with Europe, while 8 percent prefer closer relations with Russia.