Trust in Zelenskyy declined throughout 2024 but remains positive overall, poll reveals
The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has conducted a survey on public trust in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, revealing that distrust has increased to 39% over the past year, while 52% of Ukrainians continue to trust the head of state.
Source: KIIS in a press release
Quote: "It is worth focusing on the dynamics of trust over the course of a year, i.e. from December 2023 to December 2024. At the end of 2023, 77% trusted the president, but by February 2024, the trust had dropped to 64%, and by May 2024, it had dropped to 59% (while the share of those who do not trust the president increased from 22% to 36% over the same period)."
Details: KIIS notes that trust stabilised in October, though there was a decline in December. This decrease was not driven by an increase in distrust but by growing uncertainty among respondents, with a rise in uncertain responses rather than a surge in distrust between October and December.
KIIS concluded that as of December 2024, 52% of Ukrainians trusted President Zelenskyy, while 39% did not. The remaining 9% were undecided. Despite a decline in the trust index over the year, the balance of trust and distrust remained positive at +13%.
The survey, which had 2,000 respondents, was conducted from 2 to 17 December 2024. It focused on Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older who resided in territories controlled by the Ukrainian government at the time. The sample excluded residents of areas temporarily not under Ukrainian control but did include temporarily displaced persons. The survey did not cover citizens who left Ukraine after 24 February 2022.
The statistical error of the sample of about 1,000 respondents did not exceed 4.1% for indicators close to 50%, 3.5% for indicators close to 25%, 2.5% for indicators close to 10% and 1.8% for indicators close to 5%.
Background:
- In recent surveys, KIIS found that the number of Ukrainians who believe in a bright future for Ukraine has been declining for the second consecutive year.
- KIIS also noted a decline in the number of Ukrainians willing to bear the burden of war for as long as necessary.
- Later, KIIS reported that by the end of 2024, the number of Ukrainians willing to consider territorial concessions for peace had increased, while the proportion of those categorically opposed to any concessions had decreased.
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