• Ukrainians tend to feel unsafe rather than safe. The further east, the less safe citizens feel and the less satisfied they are with their lives. City residents, women, and older people feel especially unprotected.
  The key security problems that citizens see are not so much crime as poverty, corruption, and economic crises.
  Among possible crimes, Ukrainians fear most becoming victims of financial fraud and scams, hooligan attacks on the street, and robbery. Almost half of young women fear becoming victims of sex-related crimes.
• Despite the fact that citizens relatively rarely contact law-enforcement agencies, Ukrainians in general have a negative attitude toward them; courts are trusted the least. Only 12% contacted the police during the year. Two thirds of respondents did not have to observe any actions by law-enforcement officers in the current year in which human rights were violated.
• Importantly, the level of trust in law-enforcement agencies at the local level is significantly higher than at the central level. Similarly, Ukrainians evaluate the level of security in their own locality much better than the level of security in the country as a whole. In addition, people who contacted law-enforcement agencies and obtained a positive result have a significantly better attitude toward them afterward.
• The key problems of the Ukrainian police are corruption, public distrust, low morality of officers, high dependence on higher authorities, and low level of professional training. At the same time, according to the majority, these problems are not new and arose either during the Soviet period or in the early years of independence. More than 80% emphasize that the Ukrainian law-enforcement system needs reforms, including 51% who say they are urgent.
• An absolute majority of respondents (65%) believe that control over compliance with the law in the country is a shared responsibility of citizens and law-enforcement agencies.
• Almost 70% of respondents expressed readiness to help police officers in the performance of their professional duties, but only 14% under any circumstances, while about half would do so only if it does not harm their own interests or those of their relatives. Notably, in regions where local police are trusted most (the West), the highest readiness to help was also recorded. In contrast, in the East and South fewer people were willing to help.
• Only every third witness of offenses committed by others during the past year, and only every sixth witness of bribery, abuse of state funds and property, reported this to the relevant authorities. People usually do not contact law-enforcement agencies because of lack of faith that criminals will be punished, fear that the police will not protect witnesses from criminals, and fear of being turned from a witness into a suspect.
• Almost 60% of respondents believe that the Ukrainian police will cope with maintaining public order during EURO-2012 next year.
• Only 21% of respondents have a positive attitude toward the idea of renaming the militia to police, 43% have a negative attitude, and 36% are undecided.
• According to the results of a study conducted by the Sociological Group “Rating” at the end of December 2011, 42% of Ukrainians are satisfied with their lives (only 10% fully satisfied), while 54% are not satisfied (including 20% fully dissatisfied). Another 4% were undecided.
  Residents of Western Ukraine are the most satisfied with their lives, residents of Southern and Eastern Ukraine less so. The younger the respondents, the more satisfied they are with their lives. City residents are more optimistic; likewise, men feel more satisfied than women.
• According to the latest Eurobarometer data published in October 2011, on average 81% of EU residents are satisfied with their lives (one quarter fully satisfied) and only 18% are dissatisfied. By this indicator Ukraine is behind every EU country, most of all Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Finland, and Ireland. At the same time, Ukraine is closest in life-satisfaction levels to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Portugal, Lithuania, and Latvia. Starting from Estonia, the gap increases sharply to Ukraine’s disadvantage.

SENSE OF PERSONAL SAFETY

• Only 7% of Ukrainians feel completely safe, and 31% feel rather safe walking alone after dark in their neighborhood. At the same time, 54% feel unsafe, and 8% are undecided.
  By this indicator, Ukraine also trails all EU countries, most of all Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovenia, while being closest to Bulgaria and Lithuania.
• Residents of villages feel much safer than city residents. Older people and women feel the least protected.
  People feel safest in Western Ukraine, and least protected in the South and especially the East, where only one quarter feel rather safe, while 60% feel rather unsafe walking alone after dark.
• Only 4% believe that the level of safety in their locality improved over the past year, 61% say it stayed the same, and 28% say it worsened.
  Only 6% believe road safety improved, 51% say it did not change, and 37% say it worsened.
  Only 2% think overall safety in the country improved, 41% say it did not change, and 48% say it worsened.
• Two thirds of those who feel completely safe are satisfied with their lives, while 60% of those who feel unsafe are dissatisfied.

FACTORS OF INSECURITY

• The most important security problems for Ukrainians are poverty (66%), corruption (53%), economic and financial crises (40%), street crime (35%), and environmental degradation (23%).
  Less important are organized crime (14%), natural disasters and technological catastrophes (10%), civil conflicts (6%), cybercrime (6%), terrorism (4%), nuclear disasters (4%), religious and national extremism (3%), illegal immigration (3%), and border insecurity (2%).
• Eurobarometer data (November 2011) show that for EU citizens the main threats are economic and financial crises (33%), terrorism (25%), poverty (24%), organized crime (22%), and corruption (18%).
  Compared with the EU, Ukrainians rate poverty (66 vs 24%) and corruption (53 vs 18%) much higher as threats. They also rate street crime as a bigger threat, while they fear organized crime, cybercrime, terrorism, religious extremism, and illegal immigration less.
• 63% fear becoming victims of financial fraud, 61% fear hooligan attacks, 60% fear home or car robbery, and 57% fear street robbery.
  About 30% fear sexual crimes. Almost half fear being convicted for a crime they did not commit.
  Women fear all these threats more than men, especially sexual crimes (almost 50%). Fear is higher in cities, in the East and South, and among middle-aged and older people. Youth fear sexual crimes the most.

TRUST IN LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

• About a third could not assess the Security Service of Ukraine, customs, and tax authorities; a quarter could not assess the prosecutor’s office; one sixth could not assess courts and traffic police; and only one tenth could not assess the militia.
  Overall, attitudes toward law-enforcement are more negative than positive.
• Among law-enforcement agencies, the Security Service of Ukraine is trusted the most (16% fully trust it), while courts are trusted the least (only 8% fully trust them).
  Compared with a similar survey in Russia (Levada Center, autumn 2011), trust in law-enforcement is higher in Russia than in Ukraine, but in both countries courts are trusted least.
• Trust in local police is higher than in national police. 29% completely distrust local police, but 41% completely distrust the police overall.
  Two thirds did not observe any police actions violating human rights during the year. Among those who did: 17% saw rudeness, 13% abuse of office, 12% bribery, 7% cruelty, 7% falsification of cases, 4% refusal to accept complaints.
• Only 12% contacted law-enforcement during the year; only half resolved their issue. 10% contacted traffic police; about 70% of those resolved their issue.
  Those who received positive outcomes trust police more.
• PROBLEMS OF THE UKRAINIAN POLICE
• Main obstacles: corruption (64%), public distrust (39%), low morality (39%), dependence on higher authorities (34%), low professional training (31%).
  Over 80% say reforms are needed; 51% say urgently.

COOPERATION WITH LAW-ENFORCEMENT

• 65% believe law enforcement is a shared responsibility of citizens and authorities.
  70% are ready to help police, but mostly only if it does not harm their interests.
• Only one third of witnesses to crimes and one sixth of witnesses to corruption reported them. Main reasons: lack of faith in punishment (56%), fear of reprisals (48%), and fear of becoming a suspect (47%).
• OTHER QUESTIONS
• Almost 60% believe police will ensure order during EURO-2012.
  Only 21% support renaming militia to police; 43% oppose; 36% undecided.
  30% agree that Ukraine is becoming a “police state”, 36% disagree, 34% undecided.