29.01.2013
Attitude of residents of Mykolaiv region to foreign policy, land and other issues
- According to a survey conducted by Rating Group in December 2012, 50% of residents of Mykolaiv region, when choosing between signing an Association Agreement followed by accession to the European Union or full participation in the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, prefer the Customs Union and the CES, while 34% prefer signing the Association Agreement and further accession to the EU. Another 16% were undecided.
- Fifty-four percent of respondents would like Ukraine and Russia to be independent but friendly states, with open borders, without visas or customs controls. At the same time, 34% believe that relations between Ukraine and Russia should be the same as with other countries, with closed borders, visas and customs controls. Meanwhile, 7% believe that Ukraine and Russia should unite into one state, and another 5% were undecided.
- Residents of the region are more optimistic about the prospects for selling Ukrainian industrial and agricultural products if Ukraine becomes a full member of the Customs Union and the CES (51%) than if Ukraine joins the EU (29%). At the same time, 21% do not know which option would be better.
- Respondents evaluated employment prospects slightly differently: 46% believe that employment opportunities would improve if Ukraine joins the CES, while 30% believe employment would improve if Ukraine joins the EU. Another 24% were undecided.
- Fifty-three percent of respondents somewhat or fully agree that Ukraine should introduce the possibility of dual citizenship with other countries, while 28% do not support this idea. Another 13% are neutral, and 7% were undecided. If dual citizenship were allowed, 28% of residents of Mykolaiv region would like to obtain Russian citizenship while retaining Ukrainian citizenship. Seven percent would prefer German citizenship, 3% US citizenship, 3% Italian citizenship, and 2% Canadian citizenship. At the same time, more than one third of respondents (36%) would not want to obtain a second citizenship.
- Eighty-two percent of respondents are aware that the authorities are preparing to implement land reform that would allow the free sale and purchase of land. At the same time, 81% of residents of Mykolaiv region have a negative attitude toward this reform, while only 7% have a positive attitude, and 11% were undecided.
- The majority of respondents (68%) support only long-term lease of agricultural land. Ten percent would allow free sale and purchase of agricultural land only for Ukrainian citizens, and only 1% would allow it for foreigners. Another 21% were undecided.
- Sixty-three percent of respondents in the region support the idea of resolving a significant share of important issues at both local and national levels through referendums, while 26% do not support this proposal and 11% were undecided.
- Most residents of Mykolaiv region agree that citizens should be able to use local referendums to dismiss the head of the regional state administration or district administration (66%), dismiss the mayor and call new elections (66%), dissolve regional, city, district, settlement and village councils and call new elections (61%), and dismiss the village head (60%).
- Most respondents also agree that Ukrainian citizens should be able to use nationwide referendums to decide on Ukraine’s accession to military, political or economic unions (69%), dissolve the Verkhovna Rada (61%), adopt and amend the Constitution (60%), dismiss the Government (60%), and dismiss the President (56%).
Methodology
- Survey population: population of Mykolaiv region aged 18 and over
- Sample size: 1,000 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: November 30 – December 11, 2012
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