Ukrainians have a significant level of trust in the army leadership and the president: what the results of the sociological survey say
The results of the June survey of Ukrainians have revealed interesting data on the level of trust of residents in various political and military leaders of the country. Despite the popularity and high rating of the current President Volodymyr Zelensky, the majority of Ukrainians show greater trust in the commanders and leaders of the country's power bloc, which indicates a shift in social values and priorities in times of war. According to research by the Center for Social and Marketing Research "SOCIS", the Institute for Strategic Research and Forecasts "Janus" and the independent publication "Barometer of Public Sentiments", conducted from June 6 to 11 this year, almost half of Ukrainians, namely 49%, personally trust Volodymyr Zelensky. This means that almost every second Ukrainian respondent has a positive attitude towards the head of state and his ability to lead the country in difficult war conditions. At the same time, society demonstrates even greater trust in the military and intelligence officers, which is logical in wartime. The former head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny enjoys high trust among Ukrainians – 71%, which makes him one of the most authoritative leaders in public consciousness. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, is not far behind, who is supported by 55% of respondents. This indicates that trust is being formed in Ukrainian society in the military and intelligence officers, who perform key functions of defense and security of the country during this difficult period. The commander of the third assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Biletsky, also receives a particularly high level of trust – 35% of respondents are ready to trust him. Such interest in military leaders emphasizes the importance of the army in modern Ukrainian realities and the awareness among the population of their role in achieving victory. At the same time, politicians, especially those who have their supporters and critics, are characterized by significant distrust. In particular, almost 80% of Ukrainians do not trust the fifth president, Petro Poroshenko. Yulia Tymoshenko with her political forces "Batkivshchyna" and BYuT received trust only about 15%, which is a weak indicator for a politician with experience and significant support in previous years. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko also maintains a high level of distrust - almost 65%. Similarly, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko from the "Eurosolidarity" faction is not supported by 66% of respondents. The research methodology involved personal interviews with 2,000 Ukrainians aged 18 and over across the country. Given that the survey did not cover temporarily occupied territories and zones of active hostilities, the results were presented with the necessary statistical error of +/- 2.6%. Overall, the survey results reflect important trends: Ukrainians continue to place high levels of trust in military leaders and the leadership of defense structures, which underscores the importance of the army in modern Ukrainian society. It also indicates a shift in public priorities, with the country's defense and military leadership gaining greater authority than political leaders, which may have implications for the political landscape in Ukraine in the near future.