Ukrainians losing faith in public institutions – poll
Ukrainians’ trust in public institutions has sharply decreased over the past two years of the conflict with Russia, a poll by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has suggested.
Institutions such as the presidency, parliament (Verkhovna Rada), government, Security Service (SBU), and the National Police have all seen steep drops in trust, accompanied by significant increases in distrust, according to the survey, which was released on Thursday.
It indicates that trust in the office of the president fell from 84% in December 2022 to just 45% in December 2024, while distrust has risen to 31% from just 5% two years ago. This came after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky refused to hold a new presidential election and leave office last spring, citing martial law.
The parliament also saw a steep decline, with trust plummeting from 35% to 13% in the same period, while distrust surged from 34% to 68%. Similarly, the government’s trust rating fell from 52% to 20%, with distrust soaring to 53% from 19% in 2022.
The SBU was also affected, with the level of trust sliding from 63% to 54%, and distrust rising from 9% to 21%. Trust in the National Police decreased significantly, from 58% to 37%, as distrust grew from 14% to 38%.
Despite the overall trend, the Ukrainian army maintains a high level of trust – 92%, as of December 2024. However, even this figure represents a slight decline from the 96% recorded two years earlier.
The KIIS poll involved 985 respondents interviewed by telephone and only included people residing in territories controlled by Kiev. It was conducted from December 2 to 17.
A separate poll released by the institute earlier this month also found that society is growing increasingly tired of the hostilities. According to the survey, the percentage of Ukrainians willing to endure the burden of the conflict for “as long as it takes” has dropped by 16% over the past year, to 57%.
Zelensky, who enjoyed a 90% approval rating at the start of the conflict in 2022, has seen his approval fall to 52% as of December 2024, according to the KIIS.
The findings come as Russia continues its advances on the battlefield in Donbass and elsewhere, while the Ukrainian authorities are intensifying their mobilization campaign, which has often been marred by violence.
