More than half of Russians consider that the Ukrainian presidential elections will not have any impact on Russia-Ukraine relations.
MOSCOW, January 22, 2019. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data of a study devoted to the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine.
The Russian awareness of the upcoming Ukrainian presidential elections is rather high: 79% of Russians have heard of the election campaign including 18% who are following the campaign closely; 61% of Russians have heard of the elections but are not following the campaign. At the same time, every fifth respondent (20%) has not heard of the Ukrainian elections. In 2014, the level of awareness of the presidential elections was higher (88%).
An overwhelming majority of Russians think that the election results will be falsified by the Ukrainian authorities (68%) and will not reflect the will of the people. Every tenth respondent (12%) believes that there might be certain violations but they will not eventually impact the overall results. Only 3% are confident that the elections will be fair in general.
More than half of respondents (59%) consider that the Ukrainian presidential elections will not influence the bilateral relations. A further 13% view the situation positively saying that the Russian-Ukrainian relations will improve after the elections. Eight percent of respondents point to deterioration.
All-Russian VCIOM-Sputnik survey was conducted on February 24, 2019. The survey involved 1,600 Russians aged 18 and over. The survey was telephone-based and was carried out using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia. The data were weighted according to selection probability and social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
Have you heard or do you hear for the first time that presidential elections will be held in Ukraine on March 31? If yes, are you following the election campaign in Ukraine or not?(closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| 2014 * | 2019 |
I have heard of elections; I am following the election campaign very closely | 24 | 18 |
I have heard of elections but I am not following the election campaign | 64 | 61 |
This is the first time I hear about elections | 11 | 20 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 |
*In 2014, the question was as follows: “Have you heard/do you hear for the first time that the Ukrainian presidential elections are taking place on May 25? If yes, are you following the electoral campaign?”
In your opinion, will the upcoming Ukrainian presidential elections be fair, will they reflect the will of the people, or not? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |
| Total respondents |
The elections will be fair in general, and the outcomes will reflect the actual public preferences | 3 |
There might be certain violations but they will not impact the results | 12 |
The authorities will falsify the election results; the results will not reflect the will of the people | 68 |
Don’t know | 17 |
In your opinion, how will the Russian-Ukrainian relations change after the Ukrainian presidential elections? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |
| Total respondents |
Relations will improve | 13 |
Relations will deteriorate | 8 |
Relations will not change | 59 |
Don’t know | 20 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!