26.11.2021
The dynamics of Ukrainians' attitudes towards the Holodomor of 1932-33
- According to the results of a survey conducted by the Sociological Group “Rating,” 68% of citizens stated that they are well aware that the Holodomor Remembrance Day is marked on the last Saturday of November in Ukraine. Another 24% said they had heard something about it, while 8% did not know about it at all. Awareness is higher among residents of the West, older respondents, and voters of the parties Svoboda, Batkivshchyna, European Solidarity, Strength and Honor, and Ukrainian Strategy.
- 85% agreed with the statement that the Holodomor of 1932–1933 was a genocide of the Ukrainian people, while 13% disagreed. The latter group is most numerous in the East and South (every fourth to fifth respondent in these macro-regions), as well as among voters of the Opposition Platform – For Life, Murayev’s Nashi, and Sharii’s party.
- Respondents most often consider Joseph Stalin personally responsible for organizing the Holodomor — 44% (in 2018 — 47%, in 2008 — 43%) — and the central leadership of the USSR — 41% (2018 — 39%, 2008 — 38%). Another 17% (2018 — 28%, 2008 — 23%) place responsibility on the repressive bodies of the USSR (NKVD, GPU), and 12% (2018 — 23%, 2008 — 17%) on the highest leadership of Soviet Ukraine. Only 3% stated that Ukrainian peasants (kulaks) who refused to voluntarily surrender their harvest were to blame. 10% believe that the Holodomor was caused by natural factors (2018 — 5%, 2008 — 11%). Residents of the western and central regions more frequently mentioned the personal guilt of Stalin and the Soviet leadership. Meanwhile, natural explanations were more common in the South and East. The belief in natural causes is most widespread among those who deny the genocide.
- In recent years, support for holding a trial of those responsible for the Holodomor of 1932–33 has increased: 37% in 2008, 48% in 2018, and 61% in 2021. Support has also risen for the initiative to provide compensation to the victims of the genocide and their families: 46% in 2008, 63% in 2018, and 78% in 2021. The idea of holding a trial enjoys greater support in the West and Center. By contrast, support for providing compensation to families affected by the Holodomor is relatively uniform across all regions.
- The share of those who believe that Russia should pay compensation to Ukrainian citizens affected by the Holodomor and to their families has increased from 31% to 43% (2018 — 31%, 2021 — 43%). The number of respondents who believe that financial responsibility should lie with the Ukrainian state has also grown (2018 — 10%, 2021 — 18%), as well as those who believe the United Nations should bear this responsibility (2018 — 12%, 2021 — 17%). The view that Russia should pay compensation is most common in the West, among older respondents, and supporters of European Solidarity and Svoboda. Meanwhile, in the South and East, respondents attribute potential financial responsibility both to Russia, the UN, and the Ukrainian state. Every fourth to fifth respondent in the southeastern regions was undecided on this question.
Methodology
- Audience: Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older in all regions except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The sample is representative in terms of age, gender and type of settlement.
- Sample size: 1,600 respondents.
- Survey method: CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing). Based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers.
- The margin of error for the study with a confidence level of 0.95 is no more than 2.4%.
- Fieldwork dates: 19-21 November 2021.
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