Ukrainians are proud of their citizenship, according to the survey run by the Ilko Kucheriv Foundation Democratic Initiatives in cooperation with the sociological service operated by the Razumkov Center, published on Monday, August 22. In total, 90.4 percent of respondents are rather or very proud of Ukrainian citizenship, while only 5.4 percent said that they are rather or not at all proud of it.
This is the highest indicator for the entire period of sociological monitoring, the Foundation notes. Last year, there were 72.4 percent of those who were rather or very proud of Ukrainian citizenship, while 18.5 percent were rather or not at all proud of it, Deutsche Welle reports.
As for identification, 72 percent of respondents refer to themselves as citizens of Ukraine, 12 percent identify themselves with their locality, and six percent associate themselves with their respective region.
Ukrainians are united by the belief in victory
According to those interviewed, the belief in victory in the war unites people in Ukrainian society the most today as 72.5 percent hold this opinion. On the second place among the unifying factors is the belief in a better future (48.1 percent).
In addition, important unifying points, according to Ukrainians, are patriotic feelings (35.9 percent), the desire to overcome life’s difficulties together (31.2 percent), as well as the feeling of losing a normal life (27.5 percent). Only 3.7 percent of respondents noted that political views unite Ukrainians the most.
The majority of Ukrainians are in favor of restoring the borders as of January 2014
According to the survey, more than 90 percent of respondents believe or rather believe in the victory of Ukraine in the war with Russia, and only four percent do not believe or rather do not believe in it.
At the same time, 31 percent of those who believe in victory suggest that it will happen by the end of this year and 34 percent believe that victory will come in a year or two. Seven percent believe it will take three to five years. Another 23 percent couldn’t answer that question, and a few percent said victory would come in the very long term.
To the question “What can be considered such a victory?” the majority of respondents (55 percent) answered that the expulsion of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine and the restoration of borders as of January 2014 can be considered a win. Another 20.5 percent would consider the destruction of the Russian army and the promotion of insurrection/collapse within Russia as a victory in the war.
Relatively small shares of respondents will consider the end of the war with certain concessions from Ukraine as a victory. About nine percent will consider the expulsion of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine, except the occupied Crimea, as a victory, 7.5 percent – the restoration of the status quo as of February 23, 2022, and three percent – the end of the war, even if the Russian army remains in the territories, which were captured after a full-scale invasion.
The demand for democracy in society has increased
“Ukrainian society has long had a paradoxical attitude towards democracy. On the one hand, democracy was undoubtedly considered a priority type of system for Ukraine. On the other hand, there was also a persistent demand for a “strong hand” that could restore order. Since the Russian full-scale invasion, this paradox has not disappeared. But the demand for democracy and its priority has grown much more than for the “strong hand”, the Democratic Initiatives Foundation notes.
Thus, according to the results of the survey, 64 percent of respondents said that democracy is the most desirable type of government for Ukraine. 14 percent believe that under certain circumstances an autocracy can be better than a democracy, and another 13 percent of those interviewed say it doesn’t matter to them what type of regime they have.
Such indicators of support for democracy are the highest in many years of observation: by 2014, the priority of democracy was supported by less than 50 percent, after the Revolution of Dignity this indicator increased to 54 percent, but only after the beginning of the Great War it exceeded 60 percent.
