Around 90% of Ukrainians believe government should be criticized even during war, poll shows
Around 90% of Ukrainians believe the government can be criticized, even during a full-scale war, according to a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on Oct. 17.
Of those respondents, 58% said that criticism should be balanced and constructive, in order "to not destabilize the situation in the country."
Another 32% support harsh and uncompromising criticism, while only 8% oppose any criticism of the authorities, the survey showed.
While support for harsh criticism has remained stable, the proportion of those opposing any criticism of the government has decreased.
Conducted between Sept. 19 and Oct. 5, the recent poll came around two months after President Volodymyr Zelensky's team faced a backlash for attempting to take away the independence of major anti-corruption institutions. The move triggered the first street protests since the start of the full-scale war and was seen by critics as yet another attempt to consolidate power.
The same KIIS poll found that 56% of Ukrainians believed the there are real efforts to combat corruption in Ukraine, while 40% saw Ukraine as "hopelessly corrupt."
Among those who view Ukraine as "hopelessly corrupt," 45% support uncompromising criticism towards authorities, while 54% back constructive criticism or oppose criticism at all, according to the poll.
"The narrative of a 'hopelessly corrupt Ukraine' is associated with a higher share of those who are ready for any, even the most difficult, conditions to end the war," said Anton Hrushetskyi, executive director of KIIS, adding that this narrative "seriously undermines national security."
The latest survey used a representative sample of 1,008 adults from all regions of Ukraine, excluding areas under Russian occupation.
