10.02.2016
Attitude of Ukrainians to world leaders. January 2016
- According to a study conducted by the Rating Sociological Group, 63% of respondents have a positive attitude toward Alexander Lukashenko, and 58% toward Angela Merkel. A positive attitude is also expressed by 51% toward Dalia Grybauskaitė, 49% toward Andrzej Duda and Barack Obama. François Hollande is viewed positively by 40% of respondents, and Nursultan Nazarbayev by 37%. The worst attitudes are toward Vladimir Putin – only 10% have a positive view of him.
- The negative-attitude ranking is led by V. Putin (80%). About one third have a negative view of B. Obama; about one quarter of F. Hollande, N. Nazarbayev, and A. Merkel. One in five have a negative view of A. Lukashenko, and one in six of D. Grybauskaitė.
- Residents of Western and Central Ukraine are more favorable toward A. Merkel and B. Obama, while those in the South and East are more positive toward A. Lukashenko and N. Nazarbayev. At the same time, in the South there are also positive attitudes toward A. Merkel, D. Grybauskaitė, A. Duda, and F. Hollande. A relatively positive attitude toward V. Putin is found only in the East, primarily in Donbas.
- Older respondents show more positive attitudes toward A. Lukashenko, N. Nazarbayev, and V. Putin, while younger people are more supportive of A. Merkel, B. Obama, and F. Hollande. The higher the respondents’ level of education and material well-being, the more positive their attitudes toward A. Merkel, D. Grybauskaitė, B. Obama, A. Duda, and F. Hollande, and correspondingly more negative toward A. Lukashenko and V. Putin.
- Among supporters of EU and NATO membership, the most positive attitudes are toward A. Merkel, D. Grybauskaitė, B. Obama, A. Duda, and F. Hollande. A. Lukashenko and N. Nazarbayev have the most supporters among advocates of joining the Customs Union. Interestingly, A. Lukashenko enjoys a high level of support both among supporters of European integration and among Customs Union supporters.
- Over the last four years, the positive attitude toward V. Putin has deteriorated sharply, from 53% to 10%. Attitudes toward A. Merkel have fluctuated: they improved from 56% in 2012 to 61% in late 2013, declined to 51% in 2014, and then rose again to 57% in 2016. The positive view of B. Obama remained almost unchanged in 2012–2014 but declined from 54% in 2014 to 49% in 2016.
- The greatest increase in positive attitudes was recorded toward D. Grybauskaitė (from 36% to 51%) and F. Hollande (from 32% to 40%). At the same time, the share of those with negative attitudes toward these politicians also grew: from 11% to 15% for D. Grybauskaitė, and from 18% to 27% for F. Hollande. Attitudes toward A. Lukashenko and N. Nazarbayev remained unchanged.
Methodology
- Audience: Ukrainian population aged 18 and older. The sample is representative by age, gender, region and type of settlement.
- Sample: 2000 respondents.
- Personal formalized interview (face-to-face).
- Inaccuracy – no more than 2.3%.
- Fieldwork dates: 14-22 January, 2016.
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