More disapprove of Zelensky than approve for first time, poll says

More Ukrainians disapprove of the performance of
President Zelensky than approve for the first time, according to the latest
poll, released on June 29, that was conducted by Kyiv International Institute
of Sociology. About 38% approve, compared to 45% who don’t approve. Zelensky’s
approval rating in December was at 62%, compared to 25% who didn’t approve. The
poll was conducted of 2,000 respondents between June 20 and 23.

Public approval of the cabinet, on the other hand, is
far lower at 23%, while disapproval is at 59%. In December, under then-PM
Oleksiy Honcharuk, the cabinet’s approval rating was at 35%, compared to 46%
disapproval.

In late April, the public still has a slightly more
positive view of Zelensky than negative, according to a second poll released on
June 26. About 37% of those polled offered a positive assessment of Zelensky’s
first year in office, compared to 28% who had a negative view. Another 34%
chose the option of “not good, not bad” to characterize his performance. The
poll was conducted of 2,056 respondents between Apr. 24 and 29.

About 50% believe Zelensky’s actions are primarily
oriented towards national interests, while 33% believe they’re oriented
primarily towards himself and his entourage. About 38% believe the current
government is better than the prior, while 39% see no difference and 16%
believe it’s worse.

Zenon Zawada: The
coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic recession have taken their toll on
the public, as reflected in these poll figures. The drop in Zelensky’s public
approval was inevitable, but it remains impressive that as many as 38% still
approve of his performance after all that has happened. This is despite ongoing
injuries and casualties in the armed conflict in Donbas, which he vowed he
would try to end. But road repairs, another key issue of Zelensky’s campaign,
have been occurring this summer. Responsibility for this largely lies with the
cabinet and local officials (who want to win re-election in the October local
elections), but Zelensky’s ratings will benefit from this since he made that
one of his key campaign issues.

This latest poll also confirms that voters will
sooner blame the cabinet for its problems – led by the soft-spoken,
technocratic Denys Shmyhal – rather than their beloved charismatic president.
Nonetheless, we expect Zelensky’s approval ratings to erode further since his
administration is based on one-off solutions to political problems, rather than
pursuing any consistent policies, let alone a long-term strategy for the
country’s development. Moreover, economic conditions won’t improve for at least
another two years.