13.03.2014
Attitude of Ukrainians to the territorial structure of the country and the status of Crimea
- According to a survey conducted by Rating Group in March 2014, a clear majority of respondents consider a unitary state to be the most optimal form of government for Ukraine. Sixty-one percent support a unitary system, while 24% prefer a federal structure, and 15% remain undecided. Compared to 2011, support for a unitary state increased substantially from 50% to 61%, while support for federalization remained almost unchanged.
- The unitary model is supported in most regions of the country, with the exception of Donbas, where a majority favors a federal system. At the same time, only a small minority of Ukrainians believe that Crimea should be separated and transferred to Russia. Most respondents support either maintaining Crimea’s autonomy within Ukraine or granting it the status of a regular oblast. Over the past three years, support for autonomy within Ukraine increased markedly, while support for granting Crimea the status of a regular region declined, and the share of those favoring separation remained marginal and largely unchanged. Those who support transferring Crimea to Russia are concentrated mainly in the South of the country.
- When asked directly about the separation of Crimea from Ukraine, an overwhelming majority oppose this idea, and only a small minority support it. A similar pattern is observed regarding the possible separation of Donbas or Galicia, with the vast majority of respondents rejecting these scenarios. Although support for territorial separation has increased slightly over the previous two years, these attitudes have grown primarily in Crimea and Donbas and do not dominate in any region. Even among Russian-speaking and ethnic Russian respondents, no more than a quarter support the separation of Crimea or Donbas, while roughly 70% are opposed.
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 1 – March 7, 2014
