Economic decline, rising unemployment and government arbitrariness are the three main threats to Ukraine today

Press

20.08.2009

Economic decline, rising unemployment and government arbitrariness are the three main threats to Ukraine today

The economic crisis largely defines today’s fears and anxieties of citizens. Fifty-nine percent of Ukrainians named economic decline among the three main threats to Ukraine, 42.9% cited rising unemployment, 38.9% arbitrary actions by the authorities, 27.8% the devaluation of the hryvnia, and 20.9% the degradation of the population. Between 10% and 13% of respondents mentioned rising crime, environmental disasters, and deterioration in healthcare.
Around 10% of Ukrainians are convinced that the country faces the threat of fragmentation and the loss of control over its gas transmission system. Between 6% and 8% of respondents are most concerned about mass emigration of Ukrainians abroad, a demographic crisis, and a decline in the quality of education.
About 7% believe Ukraine is threatened by an unconstitutional coup, around 6% by the loss of independence, 4% by civil war, 3% by a military threat from Russia, and 1.5% by a threat from the West. Less than 1% fear terrorism in Ukraine.
There are notable regional and demographic differences. Fear of economic decline is strongest among residents of the Center, South, East, and Donbas, regions with developed industrial production, primarily among economically active people aged 30–49 with secondary or vocational education. Rising unemployment worries young people aged 18–29 the most, and this concern is present in almost all regions, especially in the South and least in the North. Women, particularly those living in rural areas, fear unemployment more than men.
Arbitrary actions by the authorities are of greater concern to residents of the South, East, and Donbas, regions dissatisfied with the current government. Urban residents are more worried about this threat than rural ones.
The devaluation of the hryvnia is most feared in the West. Ethnic Ukrainians are significantly more concerned about this issue than ethnic Russians, likely because some associate this threat not only with the erosion of their incomes and savings but also with a weakening of the state.
The higher the level of education of respondents, the greater their concern about the degradation of Ukraine’s population. This fear is especially widespread in the North and East and is more common in cities than in villages.
Rising crime worries residents of Donbas the most, environmental disasters concern people in the North and East, and the deterioration of healthcare is most feared in the South.
Mass emigration of Ukrainians abroad mainly concerns residents of the West and Center. A demographic crisis is feared most in the North, while declining education standards are most feared in the South.
Those who believe Ukraine risks losing control over its gas transmission system are mostly young people, predominantly men with higher education, with the highest shares in the North, South, West, and East.
Residents of the Center, West, and North are three times more likely than those in the South, East, and Donbas to cite the loss of independence as a threat. These are mostly older people and ethnic Ukrainians. A military threat from Russia is also expected most often in the West, Center, and North. At the same time, fear of civil war is highest in Donbas and the South. The risk of the country’s fragmentation is most feared in the South and Center and least in the West, while ethnic Russians expect this threat more often than ethnic Ukrainians.
The regional classification used in the survey was as follows. West: Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Chernivtsi. Center: Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy. North: Kyiv city, Kyiv region, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv. South: Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv. East: Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia.

Methodology

The survey was conducted by Rating Group.