Key facts
- President Volodymyr Zelensky's trust rating is 54%, according to a KIIS poll.
- 41% of Ukrainians do not trust Zelensky, the poll found.
- The survey was conducted between Aug. 21 and Sept. 10.
- The poll took place during investigations by NABU and SAPO.
- Senior officials from the Presidential Office were implicated in a corruption scandal.
- KIIS Executive Director Anton Hrushetskyi noted the cumulative negative impact of corruption investigations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's trust rating remains at 54% among Ukrainians, according to a poll released on Sept. 17 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). The survey, conducted between Aug. 21 and Sept. 10, took place during investigations into alleged corruption involving senior officials linked to the Presidential Office, including former deputy head Iryna Mudra.
Of those polled, 54% expressed trust in Zelensky, while 41% stated they did not. Among those who trusted the president, 18% said they trusted him "fully," and 36% trusted him "somewhat." Conversely, 25% of respondents reported not trusting him "at all," and 16% "tend not to trust him."
The poll indicated that Zelensky's trust rating was generally higher among women, young adults, military personnel, students, and residents of central, northern, eastern, and southern Ukraine. Trust was lower among men, individuals aged 45-59, and residents of western Ukraine and Kyiv.
KIIS Executive Director Anton Hrushetskyi observed that the results showed virtually no change from the previous month's poll, which predated the recent corruption scandal. However, he cautioned that the "cumulative negative impact" of multiple corruption investigations involving figures connected to the president could prove "irreversible." Hrushetskyi added that while Ukrainians maintain trust in Zelensky as their wartime leader, they expect decisive action against corruption and sound personnel appointments.
KIIS also noted that the survey was conducted partly after the investigation into former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, but it does not reflect events from Sept. 14, when Kravchenko allegedly attempted a retaliatory action against NABU and SAPO.