Kyiv, Ukraine — A new nationwide poll of Ukraine by the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Insights in Survey Research shows high hopes for the recently-elected president, a decline in pessimism over the country’s trajectory and continued support for the Donbas region remaining part of Ukraine.

“The relatively high levels of optimism revealed in this poll are a promising sign for the health of Ukrainian democracy ahead of July’s snap parliamentary elections,” said IRI Regional Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix. “It is crucial that the government and the new parliament demonstrate their determination to live up to the hopes placed in them by redoubling their commitment to addressing the issues that matter most to the Ukrainian people.”

Sixty-seven percent of Ukrainians approve of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s activities. Moreover, 48 percent of Ukrainians expect the economic situation in Ukraine to improve over the next 12 months, compared to just 14 percent in IRI’s September 2018 poll. Similarly, in contrast to IRI’s September 2018 poll, the number of Ukrainians who felt pessimistic about the future dropped from 71 percent to 39 percent in this most recent poll.

The survey also shows a continued increase in support for the country’s further transatlantic integration: 59 percent of Ukrainians favor European Union integration and 53 percent support NATO integration.

The poll indicates that Ukrainians remain committed to their country’s territorial integrity. Eighty-four percent of respondents believe that the territories currently under the control of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” should remain a part of Ukraine, consistent with previous polling. The poll also shows that 45 percent of Ukrainians regard a resolution to the war in Donbas as the best way to increase their trust in the parliament, followed by improving the economy (34 percent) and fighting corruption (30 percent).

Methodology

This survey was conducted on behalf of the Center for Insights in Survey Research by Rating Group Ukraine. Data was collected between June 13 and June 23, 2019 through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. The survey was conducted throughout all of Ukraine’s territory, except for the occupied territories of Crimea and Russian-controlled territory in Eastern Ukraine. The national sample consisted of 2,400 permanent residents of Ukraine aged 18 and older and eligible to vote. The response rate was 61.8 percent and the margin of error does not exceed +/- 2.0 percent for the full national sample. It is representative of the general population by gender, age, region and settlement size. The survey was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

*A corrected version of this poll was uploaded to iri.org on July 10, 2019 to address minor inaccuracies contained in the version published on July 9, 2019.