Support for Ukrainian government plummets on corruption, Donbas

Polling results
released by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on
Feb. 27 show support for
government efforts on key issues continues to drop sharply. KIIS polls
conducted from Feb. 21-25 reveal that increasing numbers of Ukrainians are dismissive
of the government’s attempts to clean up corruption and affect change in
Donbas. Specifically, 70% of Ukrainians now see a failure to make progress
regarding the loss of control over parts of Donbas, as opposed to 50% in
December. Also, 83% of respondents believe that the fight against corruption at
the highest levels is unsuccessful, compared to 76% in December. The margin of
error in the results is less than 3%.

James Hydzik: The
continued drop in support for the government’s actions matches the rise in
discontent with the government, and in particular PM Oleksiy
Honcharuk. While these are not the only issues at the
forefront of the public’s consciousness, they are two of the pillars of
President Zelensky’s election platform. The question remains as to whether the
president will be able to continue to enjoy personal popularity while his
cabinet suffers, or if public opinion will turn against him as well. For the
relatively near future, we expect his rating to remain stable, inter alia, as a
change
of prime minister is possible that should siphon off discontent.