Ukrainians maintain strong commitment to democracy & post-war elections.

The latest public opinion survey by the International Republican Institute finds that a majority of the Ukrainian people remain committed to democracy and elections after the war is over. Majorities of the population think post-war reconstruction priorities should be determined at the local level and that a post-war Ukraine will see its borders restored to internationally recognized borders defined in 1991. The survey also showed that Ukrainians remain overwhelmingly in favor of joining the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 

The survey showed Ukrainians’ commitment to democracy remains strong with 62% supporting elections once the war is over. 

The poll also showed that Ukrainians overwhelmingly favor reconstruction priorities being decided by citizens through polling and locally elected authorities. This support has increased from a recent IRI poll in February 2023.   

Ukrainians continue to express strong support for accession into Europe. About eight in ten Ukrainians are in favor of joining the EU and NATO if given a referendum.  

The Ukrainian people remain confident in victory and that a post-war Ukraine will return to the internationally recognized 1991 borders. This sentiment is reflected in majorities across all geographic regions and age groups.  

Click here for the full poll results.  

The survey was conducted by the Sociological Group “Rating” on behalf of the Center for Insights in Survey Research of the International Republican Institute (IRI) throughout Ukraine (except for the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas) from September 9-12, 2023, through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) based on a random sample of mobile telephone numbers. The total sample consists of n= 2,000 Ukrainians aged 18 and older. The sample excludes any Ukrainians not currently in Ukraine. The survey data obtained was weighted by regional (oblast of residence and type of settlement) and age indicators using data by the State Statistics Service of Ukraine as of January 1, 2022. The margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level does not exceed ±2.2 percentage points for the full sample. The response rate was 12 percent. 

The study was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).