Ukrainians’ attitude towards Russians and Belarusians keeps getting worse – sociologists
IRYNA BALACHUK – WEDNESDAY, 24 AUGUST 2022, 13:03
Photo: Pixabay.com
The attitude of the citizens of Ukraine towards Russians and Belarusians keeps getting worse. As of August, the attitude of 81% of Ukrainians towards Russians is negative, and 52% show a dismissive attitude towards Belarusians.
Source: results of the survey conducted by the Sociological Rating Group Ukraine on 17-18 August
Quote: "The survey showed the further worsening of the Ukrainians’ attitude towards the residents of Russia and Belarus. 81% of Ukrainians have a negative attitude towards Russians (which was 69% in April 2022, 41% in April 2021), 14% are neutral towards them and only 3% are positive. Belarusians evoke a negative attitude in 52% of Ukrainians (33% in April 2022, 4% in April 2021), 34% are neutral and 10% are positive.
Details: The attitude towards Russians who live in Ukraine is predominantly neutral (42%). 22% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude, 29% a negative one.
51% have a positive attitude towards Russian-speaking Ukrainians and 31% a neutral one. Only 14% show a negative attitude towards them.
Sociologists remark that in total, as a result of the war, the level of positive attitude towards Russian-speaking Ukrainians improved from 37% in April 2021 to 51% in August 2022, even though during last four months the level of positive attitude has dropped and became closer to neutral, with no rise of the negative attitude.
The attitude towards the residents of occupied Crimea and especially towards the residents of the so-called "Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics" also keeps getting progressively worse. 22% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude towards the residents of occupied Crimea, 23% are negative and 45% are neutral (compared with 41% having a positive attitude, 14% a negative one, and 40% being neutral).
Only 14% have a positive attitude towards the residents of the so-called DPR/LPR, 47% treat them negatively, and 32% are neutral (27% had a positive attitude towards them, 31% had a negative attitude, and 37% were neutral in April 2022).
At the same time, Sociological Rating Group Ukraine reports that there is a certain mitigation in the assessment of time needed for reconciliation between Ukrainians and Russians.
In April 2022 [the survey was conducted after Kyiv region was liberated from the Russian occupiers - ed.], two-thirds of the respondents said that the reconciliation is impossible; in August, only half of Ukrainians shared this point of view.
A third of respondents believe that it will be possible to reconcile with Russians in 20-30 years, 14% think it will happen in 10-15 years, and only 5% think it will be possible in a few years.
Senior respondents, residents of Eastern Ukraine and Russian-speaking Ukrainians are more prone to expect the "reconciliation" in the near future.
The survey was conducted on 17-18 August using a method of telephone interview. Based on random sampling of mobile numbers 1000 respondents aged 18 and older have been interviewed in all oblasts except the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas, as well as territories where there was no mobile connection at the time when the survey was being conducted. The margin error of the survey with a confidence level of 0.95 is 3,1%.
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