A recent survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) shed light on Ukrainians’ perceptions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s performance, as he completes five years in office.
The survey revealed that only 18% of respondents believe Zelensky has fulfilled most or all of his promises, with 5% stating that he has fulfilled all of them, according to the KIIS survey.
19 % of respondents believe that he has fulfilled about half of the promises, while 50% believe that he has fulfilled few or none of the promises (of these, 25% believe that he has fulfilled none of the promises).
Reasons behind unfulfilled promises
However, the survey also sought to understand the reasons behind Zelenskyy’s unfulfilled promises from the perspective of ordinary Ukrainians, especially as his presidency occurred during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Among those who believe that Zelenskyy did not fulfill all of his promises, 50% attribute this to the presence of dishonest and corrupt people within the President’s team.
Other explanations for unfulfilled promises include a lack of competent people in Zelenskyy’s team, the full-scale invasion, his own inexperience, and the influence of oligarchs, with these factors being cited by 26-32% of respondents, the survey found.
Fewer respondents (9-14%) mentioned personal corruption of Zelenskyy, the influence of other countries, the destabilization of the situation by the opposition, and unrealistic promises as reasons for unfulfilled promises.
In additional open-ended questions, Ukrainians often recalled such promises of Zelenskyy as ending the war in Donbas, fighting corruption, and improving the welfare of the population. KIIS suggests these dimensions likely played a significant role when respondents evaluated the President’s fulfillment of campaign promises.
Among Zelenskyy’s successes, Ukrainians recognize his resilience in repelling Russian aggression and international activities aimed at strengthening support for Ukraine in the war.
KIIS notes that Ukrainians mostly focus not on the President himself (on his personal qualities), but on his team.
About survey
The survey, conducted by KIIS from 16-22 May 2024, involved 1,002 respondents residing in all regions of Ukraine (government-controlled territory), older than 18 years old, and was carried out using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers. It was done at the request of the public organization Center for Strategic Communications “Forum”
The survey did not include residents of temporarily Russia-occupied territories or citizens who left Ukraine after 24 February, 2022.
Ukrainian distrust in political parties remain high, with 76% expressing no trust to Ukrainian political parties. Government officials, courts, and the judiciary also rank high in distrust, with 73% and 72% respectively. However, 94% of Ukrainians trust the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
A survey, conducted in 2023, found that 64% of Ukrainians oppose holding presidential elections in 2024 before the war ends, citing reasons like lack of funding, legal restrictions under martial law, and safety concerns.
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