Trust in Ukrainian political leaders has sharply declined with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the government, and the Ukrainian parliament facing diminishing approval rates, a recent survey has revealed.
According to a study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, just 21 percent of the Ukrainian public now trust their lawmakers in parliament — a considerable drop from the 58 percent recorded back in May 2022.
Similarly, confidence in Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been nearly cut in half, decreasing from 74 percent to 39 percent.
President Zelensky fared better in the survey, maintaining a relatively robust trust score of 76 percent, declining from 91 percent.
Anton Grushetsky, the Institute’s director, emphasized the significance of discerning between trust in specific individuals and broader institutional trust. He highlighted that while the public’s criticism currently targets the government and Supreme Council, President Zelensky remains less affected.
“The level of trust in institutions shows that citizens’ criticism is currently focused primarily on the government and the Verkhovna Rada, and to a lesser extent on the president,” said Grushetsky.
It was suggested that the several corruption scandals recently reported by the media involving Ukrainian politicians and institutions were a contributing factor to the decline in public confidence.
The military continued to be a pillar of trust for the Ukrainian public, with confidence in the army remaining high at 94 percent, down slightly from 98 percent.
Civilians who have volunteered for combat have also retained a high trust rating of 87 percent.
