Survey reveals Ukrainians trust in military, but trust in Zelenskyy is dropping
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The Armed Forces of Ukraine retain the highest trust among Ukrainians — 96%, while Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi is trusted more than President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), published on Dec. 18.
Criticism of government bodies is increasing in comparison to a similar survey taken in Dec. 2022.
The survey showed a decline in trust:
Trust in the Verkhovna Rada decreased from 35% to 15%, distrust increased from 34% to 61%;
Trust in the government decreased from 52% to 26%, distrust increased from 19% to 44%;
Trust in the SBU decreased from 63% to 58%, distrust is now at 16%;
Trust in the police decreased from 58% to 41%, distrust increased from 14% to 29%.
Currently, 62% of respondents trust the President of Ukraine, while 18% do not trust him, compared to last year's 84% trust and 5% distrust.
Read also: Top Zelenskyy aide shuts down rumors of rift with General Zaluzhnyi
“Accordingly, if the trust-distrust balance for the president in Dec. 2022 was +80%, it is now +42%,” KIIS writes.
“On the one hand, we see a significant decrease, but on the other hand, it remains unambiguously positive with a significant majority trusting the president compared to those who do not.”
The Armed Forces of Ukraine maintain absolute trust in society — now, as last year, they are trusted by 96% of respondents.
Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny is trusted by 88%, and distrusted by 4%.
A majority of Ukrainians — 59% — simultaneously trust both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“The proportion of Ukrainians with polarized views is quite small,” the KIIS report reads.
“For instance, only 14% trust Zaluzhny and simultaneously distrust the president, and only 1% trust the president but not Zaluzhny.”
Read also: Russia amplifies rumors of rift between Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi, Kyiv says
High trust in volunteers remains — 84%, with only 3% not trusting them.
Meanwhile, criticism of the government has increased in all regions, although the majority trust the president. The absolute majority in the regions trust Zaluzhnyi and volunteers.
However, the survey results showed a significant decrease in trust in judges and prosecutors — only 12% and 9% trust them, respectively. Ukrainian media also significantly lost trust — with indicators returning to the level of Dec. 2021. Over the year, trust decreased from 57% to 29%, while distrust increased from 14% to 40%.
The KIIS survey was conducted from Nov. 29. to Dec. 9. 2023, using telephone interviews with the aid of a computer. 1,031 respondents from all regions under Ukrainian control were interviewed in total. The statistical error of such a sample does not exceed 3.4% for indicators close to 50% and 1.5% for indicators close to 5%.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
