A few theses about the values of Ukrainians

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05.06.2013

A few theses about the values of Ukrainians

According to a survey conducted by the Rating Group, 59% of respondents believe that Ukraine rather lacks a “strong hand” than “democracy” (26%). Every sixth respondent was undecided on this issue.
At the same time, 42% of respondents believe that Ukraine rather lacks “greater freedom of speech” than “greater censorship” (26%). Every third respondent was undecided.
Half of respondents believe that Ukraine “needs to develop market relations,” while 31% believe it should “return to a planned economy.” Every fifth respondent was undecided.
It is noteworthy that one third of supporters of a “strong hand” simultaneously support increasing freedom of speech in the country, and 40% support further development of the market economy.
Support for a “strong hand” ranges from about 70% of respondents in the South and Donbas to about 50% in the West and North of the country; from about 80% among supporters of the Communist Party and 70% among supporters of the Party of Regions to about half among supporters of UDAR, Svoboda and Batkivshchyna.
At the same time, clear correlations are observed: the younger the respondents and the higher their education level, the more likely they are to support deepening democracy, increasing freedom of speech and developing market relations.
In addition, Ukrainian-speaking respondents are more likely than Russian-speaking respondents to believe that the country lacks democracy and freedom of speech. Similar patterns are observed by nationality: ethnic Russians are more likely than ethnic Ukrainians to support a “strong hand,” increased censorship and a return to a planned economy.
Interestingly, women support a “strong hand,” increased censorship and a return to a planned economy more often than men.
Clear support for the idea of increasing censorship in Ukraine is recorded only in Donbas. The same applies to returning to a planned economy.
At the same time, equal shares of respondents in the South and East support both increased censorship and increased freedom of speech. Meanwhile, in the Center, and especially in the North and West of the country, there is clear support for increasing freedom of speech and deepening market relations.
44% of Ukrainians do not regret the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, while 41% do regret it. Every sixth respondent was undecided.
Compared to a previous survey conducted at the end of 2010, the share of those who regret the USSR decreased from 46% to 41%, while the share of those who do not regret it increased from 36% to 44%. Thus, over the past 2.5 years, nostalgia for the USSR has declined, primarily due to demographic changes, as older people remain the main supporters of the Soviet Union.
Other patterns are also present. For example, women regret the USSR more often than men. Russian-speaking respondents and ethnic Russians also regret the USSR more often than ethnic Ukrainians. The higher the education level of respondents, the lower the level of nostalgia for the USSR.
Among those who regret the USSR, 75% believe Ukraine lacks a “strong hand,” half would like to return to a planned economy, and 40% support increasing censorship in the country. At the same time, about one quarter support deepening market relations and increasing freedom of speech.

Methodology

Survey population: population of Ukraine aged 18 and over
Sample size: 2,000 respondents
Method: face-to-face interviews
Margin of error (95% confidence):
- near 50%: ≤ 2.2%
- near 30%: ≤ 2%
- near 10%: ≤ 1.3%
- near 5%: ≤ 1%
Fieldwork period: March 15 – 28, 2013
Regional breakdown:
- 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, Sevastopol
- East: Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv
- Donbas: Donetsk, Luhansk