Ukrainians trust the Armed Forces and the Church the most – survey results
During the war years, the level of trust in key public institutions has increased significantly. Citizens trust the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Church the most. This is evidenced by the results of a new study by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, which compares public opinion in 2017 and 2024.
According to the survey, trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine has more than tripled – from 20.6% to 69.4%. This is the highest level among all institutions. The Church is in second place: 28.1% of Ukrainians fully trust it, compared to 22.1% in 2017. The third most trusted category is charitable organizations – 13.6% compared to 8.6% seven years ago.
At the same time, political institutions have the lowest level of trust. The Verkhovna Rada is fully trusted by only 2.6% of citizens, the Cabinet of Ministers by 1.9%, and political parties by 1.8%.
It is also interesting to note the growth of trust in social networks (from 2% to 4.7%) and a moderate improvement in the reputation of the media: 5.9% fully trust them (1.6% in 2017). However, the level of distrust in the media remains consistently high – 44.7% say they do not trust them “very much,” and another 19.3% do not trust them at all.
The social environment is also changing. Interpersonal trust has increased: from 17% in 2017 to 32% in 2024, Ukrainians trust each other more often. But at the same time, the majority (67.5%) believes that one should be very careful in relationships.
People trust their family members the most – 83.8% (compared to 90.4% in 2017), although this figure has slightly decreased. However, trust in people of other nationalities and religions has increased: from 1.9% to 4.5% and from 2.1% to 5.1%, respectively.
The number of Ukrainians who consider themselves happy remains significant – 62%, with the highest rate among young people under 29 (75%). Ukrainian-speaking respondents are more likely to feel happy (63%) than Russian-speaking respondents (46%).
Another indicator of national consciousness is pride in citizenship. 85% of respondents are proud to be Ukrainians (in 2017 – 68%). The highest level is in the Western region (91%), the lowest – in the South (77%).
Ukrainians have also begun to value democratic values more: support for citizen participation in decision-making has increased (from 19% to 25%) and for the protection of freedom of speech (from 3% to 8%).
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
