photo: nato.int
Two-thirds of Ukrainians support the course on NATO and the EU and believe that Ukraine will repel Russia’s attack. This is evidenced by the results of several surveys, conducted by the sociological group «Rating» and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology during 5-17 February.
62% of Ukrainians support Ukraine’s accession to NATO, which is the highest figure for the period of observations since 2014. At the same time, 30% of citizens have a negative attitude to this organisation. At the end of 2021, the number of Ukrainians in favour of joining the North Atlantic Alliance was 55-58%. It is noted that the idea of Ukraine’s integration into NATO is more supported by respondents from the West and the Center, less – the South. In the East, the number of supporters is less than the number of opponents. Such data is evidenced by a survey, conducted on 16-17 February 2022 among 1722 respondents – citizens of Ukraine aged 18 and older in all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas.
The same study shows that support among Ukrainians for joining the European Union has rised as well. This idea is supported by 68%, 24% do not support it. As with NATO, this figure has risen to its highest level in research history since 2013. Ukraine’s integration into the EU is also largely supported by respondents from the West and the Center, less on the South. In the eastern regions, there is a parity of opponents and supporters.
In addition, 55% of respondents stated that Ukraine should withdraw from the Minsk agreements if Russia recognizes the so-called «DNR» and «LNR» as independent states, which already happened yesterday, 21 February.
At the same time, the research by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology shows that compared to December 2021, the share of Ukrainians who have a good attitude towards Russia has now decreased from 39% to 34%. The survey took place during 5-13 February, during which the adult Ukrainians were asked to answer the question «How do you feel about Russia in general now?».
The graph shows that attitudes toward Russia have deteriorated sharply since 2014, reaching a «bottom» in May 2015. After that, until February 2019, there was an improvement in attitudes towards Russia, and from February 2020, we see a deterioration again.
In addition, the attitude of Ukrainians to Russia significantly depends on the region: in the West, 21% have a positive attitude towards Russia, in the Center – 31%, in the South – 45%, in the East – 53%. At the same time, in the West, there are most of those who have a negative attitude towards Russia – 64%. 55% have a negative attitude in the Center, 40% in the South and 30% in the East. Earlier, Lviv Now wrote about the part of the population in Eastern Ukraine with a «neutral» position who have relatives in Russia and don’t mind travelling there. However, they don’t want Ukraine to become part of Russia, and are ready to support Ukrainian resistance.
This is supported by the same survey, in which the respondents were also asked: «How would you like to see Ukraine’s relations with Russia?». As before, the vast majority, 92% of respondents believe that Ukraine and Russia should be independent states. Moreover, the figure even increased compared to November 2021 (from 88%). Now, only 5% of respondents believe that Ukraine and Russia should unite into one state.
Read also: «Five reasons why Kharkiv remains a Ukrainian city»
Regarding the current military threat, according to a poll conducted by the Sociological Group «Rating» on 16-17 February 2022 among 1722 adult citizens of Ukraine, 19% of respondents rate the probability of a full-scale military invasion of Russia in Ukraine as high, 33% – as medium, 20% – as low, while 25% believe that there is no threat. The number of respondents who do not see a threat varies significantly by region: from 14% in the West to 42% in the East.
At the same time, the majority of respondents (64%) are convinced that Ukraine will be able to repel the attack if the Russian invasion takes place. One-third is not sure in it. The number of respondents who believe in their own Armed Forces is prevalent in all regions of the country (relatively more in the West and in the Center, relatively less in the East).
Vitalii Holich
You can read a Ukrainian language version of this story here.
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Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
