(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A large majority of people in Ukraine express no confidence in the country’s officials, according to a poll by Research & Branding Group. 71.1 per cent of respondents say their attitude towards the authorities is one of distrust, and 20 per cent express hatred towards them.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A large majority of people in Ukraine express no confidence in the country’s officials, according to a poll by Research & Branding Group. 71.1 per cent of respondents say their attitude towards the authorities is one of distrust, and 20 per cent express hatred towards them.
In September 2008, Ukraine’s governing coalition split in great part due to disagreements over a conflict between Georgia and Russia triggered by Georgian armed forces in the breakaway province of South Ossetia. In the days following the incursion, Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko asked the government to fiercely condemn Russia’s actions in Georgia. Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko refused to take a strong stance against Russia. Yushchenko—who won the 2004 presidential election after joining forces with Tymoshenko during the "Orange Revolution"—left the coalition as a result.
A new parliamentary election was scheduled for Dec. 14, but was later postponed indefinitely on account of the global economic crisis. On Dec. 9, the pro-Western coalition encompassing the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Yushchenko’s People’s Union-Our Ukraine (NS-NU) was reformed, this time with support from the Lytvyn Bloc.
Ukraine has been hit hard by the global financial crisis. Thousands of workers in the steel industry are idle, and the national currency—the hryvnia—has lost 40 per cent of its value since September 2008.
On Mar. 12, United States ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said that, in order to attract foreign investors, "The first thing Ukraine needs to do is to restore trust in the authorities, the National Bank of Ukraine, the banking sector, and the national currency."
Polling Data
What is your current attitude to Ukrainian authorities? (Several answers allowed)
|
Distrust |
71.1% |
|
Hatred |
20.0% |
|
Indifference |
18.5% |
|
Support |
3.4% |
|
Respect |
2.8% |
Source: Research & Branding Group
Methodology: Interviews with 2,067 Ukrainian adults, conducted from Feb. 17 to Feb. 27, 2009. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
