21.07.2020
One year after the Verkhovna Rada elections: citizens’ assessments
- The results of the survey conducted by the Rating Group on 16–17 July 2020 showed that 55% of respondents actively follow political events in Ukraine. 25% do so occasionally, 14% rarely, and 6% do not follow politics at all. At the same time, the older the respondents are, the more often they follow political events. Compared to April of this year, the number of those interested in domestic political news has increased.
- Almost 30% of respondents believe that the current parliament is more effective than the previous composition of the Verkhovna Rada, while a quarter hold the opposite opinion and consider the previous parliament more effective. At the same time, almost half believe that there is no significant difference between them. Young people and voters of the Servant of the People party assess the effectiveness of the current Verkhovna Rada most positively. Voters of European Solidarity assess it most negatively, with the majority of them believing that the previous parliament was more effective.
- Among state leaders, respondents assess the work of President Zelenskyy relatively better, with 37% satisfied with the Head of State’s activities and 59% giving opposite assessments. 25% are satisfied with the work of Verkhovna Rada Speaker Razumkov, while 57% are dissatisfied. Only 16% are satisfied with the activities of Prime Minister Shmyhal, while 65% of respondents are dissatisfied.
- Among parliamentary factions, the Servant of the People faction received relatively better assessments, with a satisfaction level of 32% among all respondents and 90% among party voters. About a quarter of respondents are satisfied with the activities of the Opposition Platform – For Life, European Solidarity, and Batkivshchyna factions, while around 70% are dissatisfied. 17% are satisfied with the activities of the Holos faction, while 73% are dissatisfied. The age distribution of assessments is indicative: young people are relatively more satisfied with the Servant of the People faction, while older respondents are more satisfied with the factions of Opposition Platform – For Life, European Solidarity, and Batkivshchyna.
- The return to the Criminal Code of provisions on punishment for illicit enrichment and the introduction of criminal liability for MPs for “button-pushing” were the parliamentary decisions most positively assessed by respondents, at around 90%.
- Significant support, ranging from 60% to 80%, was also recorded for implemented initiatives such as the abolition of parliamentary immunity, granting volunteers the status of war participants, low-interest loans for entrepreneurs at 5%, 7%, and 9%, returning amber mining to the legal framework, increasing income limits for individual entrepreneurs, adopting the law on impeachment of the President, introducing strict rules for transporting children in cars only in child safety seats, restricting the transfer of funds to offshore jurisdictions, and simplifying admission to Ukrainian universities for children from occupied territories. At the same time, the last three initiatives also have a significant number of opponents, at around 20%.
- It is important that most of the above-mentioned decisions of the Verkhovna Rada find relatively even support among supporters of different political forces. However, there are also decisions that provoke resistance. For example, the decision to simplify admission to Ukrainian universities for children from occupied territories is supported by the majority of voters of all parliamentary parties except European Solidarity, half of whose supporters oppose it. Similarly, the decision to grant volunteers the status of war participants is supported by more than 80% of supporters of various political forces, except for Opposition Platform – For Life, where support is at 56%.
- The introduction of monetary rewards for whistleblowers, a ban on returning bankrupt banks to their former owners, including PrivatBank, and the demonopolization of the alcohol industry are supported by about 50% of respondents. The abolition of the majoritarian electoral system was supported by 40%, not supported by 19%, and a third assessed it neutrally.
- In contrast, the legalization of gambling and the introduction of a land market were predominantly perceived negatively by respondents. About 60% do not support these decisions of the Verkhovna Rada, while about a quarter support them. Relatively more supporters of these two parliamentary decisions are found among young people and sympathizers of the Servant of the People, European Solidarity, and Holos parties.
- In the rating of political forces for elections to the Verkhovna Rada, the leader is the Servant of the People party, which 27.9% of those who have decided and intend to vote are ready to support. Opposition Platform – For Life is supported by 18.0%, European Solidarity by 14.7%, Batkivshchyna by 11.4%, the Lyashko Radical Party by 5.2%, Strength and Honor by 4.3%, the Shariy Party by 3.4%, the Ukrainian Strategy of Groysman by 3.3%, the Svoboda party by 3.2%, and the Holos party by 3.1%. The ratings of other political forces are below 2%.
Methodology
- Audience: population of Ukraine aged 18 and older in all regions except the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas. The sample is representative by age, gender, and type of settlement.
- Sample size: 2000 respondents.
- Survey method: CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviews) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers.
- Margin of error at a 0.95 confidence level: no more than 2.2%.
- Fieldwork dates: 16–17 July 2020.
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