According to a comprehensive survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between December 2-17, 2024, public trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has experienced a significant decline over the past year, though maintaining a positive trust-distrust balance.
This latest data indicates a significant shift from December 2023, when presidential trust stood at 77%, showing a gradual decline through 2024, with notable drops in February (64%) and May (59%) before stabilizing and then declining again toward the year’s end.
The declining trust in President Zelenskyy could be attributed to demands for fair mobilization equally distributed among all society as well as the lack of a clearly defined strategy for bolstering Ukraine’s defense capabilities, though separate surveys should be conducted to describe it more precisely.
Ukraine’s new mobilization law falls painfully short of frontline expectations
The survey, which employed two different polling methodologies, shows that 52% of Ukrainians trust the President, while 39% express distrust, with 9% undecided. When using an alternative questioning format that explicitly offered an “undecided” option, the figures adjusted to 45% expressing trust, 31% showing distrust, and 24% indicating uncertainty.
Regional analysis reveals varying levels of support across Ukraine, with the Western regions showing the strongest support (trust-distrust balance of +27%), followed by Central Ukraine (+13%). The Southern and Eastern regions maintain positive but lower trust indicators, with the trust-distrust balance approaching zero.
The study highlighted a strong correlation between overall optimism and trust in the President. Among optimists, who comprise 50% of the population, 67% express trust in Zelenskyy, while only 26% indicate distrust. Conversely, among pessimists (23% of the population), 57% express distrust, with only 31% maintaining trust.
The survey was conducted via telephone interviews with 2,000 respondents across government-controlled territories of Ukraine, maintaining a statistical margin of error of 4.1% for indicators close to 50%. The sample excluded citizens who left Ukraine after 24 February 2022 and residents of temporarily occupied territories, though it included internally displaced persons.
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