Whom do Ukrainians trust the most?

It remains unclear when elections will take place in Ukraine, but sociological studies on public trust in top figures are conducted regularly. One of the latest surveys was a joint online poll by Dilova Stolytsia and New Image Marketing Group. As a practicing political strategist, I pay special attention to trust and distrust ratings of public and political figures, as these criteria best indicate their electoral prospects.

Currently, the leaders in trust are Valerii Zaluzhnyi (72%) and Kyrylo Budanov (62%). This is logical, as warriors hold great authority in Ukraine today. However, Zaluzhnyi’s trust rating has dropped by 3% since April last year, while Budanov’s has remained unchanged. This is also understandable: Zaluzhnyi has transitioned into diplomacy, whereas Budanov remains in an active combat role. Additionally, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) regularly conducts successful operations that weaken the enemy. Given the extremely difficult situation on the front lines, this inspires hope among Ukrainians.

Surprisingly, the third place, with 60% trust, does not belong to a military or political figure, but to athlete Oleksandr Usyk. His clear pro-Ukrainian stance, consistent victories, and potential retirement from professional sports (as some reports suggest) may have played a role in his high rating.

Trust in President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has declined from 54% to 49%, placing him in fourth place. Considering the administrative and corruption scandals within the government, this drop is surprisingly small. Likely, respondents are reluctant to criticize the sitting head of state during wartime. However, public opinion firmly holds the president responsible for everything happening in the country.

Notably, Zaluzhnyi, Budanov, and Usyk also lead in the trust-to-distrust ratio, with 53%, 35%, and 35%, respectively – a crucial indicator in public politics.

Of course, much may change before the elections. Moreover, history reminds us that the most important factor is who counts the final results.

Link to the survey in the first comment.

Alexandr Kochetkov