05.05.2014
Nostalgia for the USSR and the attitude towards the individual sexes
- According to a nationwide survey conducted by Rating Group in April 2014, one third of Ukrainians reported that they regret the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, while almost half said they do not. Since 2010, the share of those expressing nostalgia for the USSR has declined by nearly one and a half times, while the proportion of those who do not regret its collapse has grown steadily. This shift accelerated over the last year, reflecting a rapid transformation of public attitudes. Nostalgia for the Soviet Union is more widespread in the East, South, and especially in Donbas, while it is significantly lower in the Center of the country. Older people, those with lower levels of education and income, and ethnic Russians are more likely to regret the collapse of the USSR, while among ethnic Ukrainians this sentiment has declined sharply over the past year.
- Public attitudes toward historical and political figures also reveal deep and shifting divisions. Half of respondents expressed a positive view of Peter the Great, although this figure has declined in recent years, while around 30% hold a negative opinion. He is viewed more favorably in the East, South, Donbas, and to a lesser extent in the Center and North, and ethnic Russians tend to evaluate him slightly more positively than ethnic Ukrainians. Ivan Mazepa is viewed positively by 41% of respondents and negatively by 30%, with the strongest support in the West, Center, and North, and a much weaker but still notable level of support in the South and East. Ethnic Ukrainians are far more likely than ethnic Russians to hold positive views of Mazepa, and higher education is associated with more favorable attitudes.
- Joseph Stalin is viewed negatively by an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians, with only one in five expressing a positive attitude. Negative views of Stalin have grown significantly in recent years, although he retains more support in Donbas and the South, as well as among older, less educated, and lower-income respondents and among ethnic Russians. Stepan Bandera remains a highly polarizing figure: nearly one third of respondents view him positively, while almost half hold negative opinions. However, positive attitudes toward Bandera have increased substantially over the past two years, especially in Western Ukraine, and are more common among younger, more educated respondents and ethnic Ukrainians.
- Vladimir Putin is viewed overwhelmingly negatively, with more than three quarters of respondents expressing unfavorable opinions. This represents a dramatic shift from late 2013, when positive views outnumbered negative ones. Only in Donbas does a majority still hold positive attitudes toward him, while in all other regions negative views dominate, particularly in the Center, North, and West. Ethnic Russians are far more likely to view Putin positively than ethnic Ukrainians, although even among ethnic Russians he no longer enjoys majority support.
- These attitudes form coherent ideological patterns. Those who regret the collapse of the USSR are far more likely to view figures such as Peter the Great, Stalin, and Putin positively, while those who do not regret the Soviet collapse are much more likely to hold positive views of Mazepa and Bandera and strongly negative views of Stalin and Putin. At the same time, even among those who admire Peter the Great, attitudes toward Putin have shifted sharply, with many now viewing him more negatively than figures historically associated with Ukrainian independence.
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: April 15 – April 25, 2014
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