Over half of Ukrainians feel negative about the special status of Donbas, according to a poll conducted by the Razumkov Center's sociological service in March.
Judging by the poll results that were published on Thursday, 56.4 percent of the respondents ‘do not support the special status of Donbas’, 23.8 percent of the respondents ‘back it’, and 19.8 percent are ‘undecided’.
Depending on the region, an absolute majority rejects the special status of Donbas in the central and western territories, just like a relative majority of residents of the southern region and Kyiv-held Donbas.
A relative majority of residents of the eastern region want Donbas to enjoy the special status.
The idea of holding elections in Donbas, before Kyiv regains control over those territories, is ‘not supported’ by 52.5 percent of the Ukrainian population, 31.2 percent ‘support it’, and the rest are ‘undecided’. The idea is rejected by an absolute majority of respondents in the central and western regions, and a relative majority in the eastern region, and in Donbas. In the southern region, the numbers of respondents ‘supporting’ (31.2 percent) and ‘rejecting’ (33.5 percent) the idea do not differ much statistically.
According to the poll, a relative majority of respondents ‘do not want an amnesty’ for all members of the separatist movements, who have not committed serious felonies (42.3 percent); the idea is supported of 31.2 percent of respondents, and the rest are ‘unable to answer the question’. The idea was rejected by an absolute majority of people in the western region and a relative majority in the central region. It is backed up by a relative majority in the southern region and Donbas. There was no statistical difference between the number of respondents ‘supporting’ (36.7 percent) and ‘rejecting’ (36.5 percent) the idea in the eastern region.
A relative majority of the Ukrainian population supports the severing of any economic contacts between Ukraine and DPR/LPR territories, (including the payment of social benefits, the supply of energy resources, the purchase of coal, etc) until Ukraine fully regains control of those territories, (45.9 percent) and the deprivation of Ukrainian citizens, who supported Russia’s actions and pro-Russian movements in the country’s East and South, of Ukrainian citizenship (45.5 percent). Those ideas were rejected by approximately a third of the respondents (33.3 percent and 34 percent, respectively). They were supported by an absolute majority of respondents in the central and western regions, and were rejected by an absolute or relative majority in the other regions.
A relative majority of respondents (35.9 percent) has a ‘negative opinion’ on the current results of the Minsk agreements on the Donbas situation. The results are viewed ‘positively’ by 16.6 percent of the respondents and ‘neutrally’ by 24.3 percent. Ten percent are ‘unaware’ of those agreements, and 13.1 percent are ‘undecided’. A relative majority of respondents in all regions of Ukraine speak ‘negatively’ of the current results of the Minsk agreements.
The Razumkov Center’s sociological service conducted the study from March 25 to 30. It interviewed 2,018 respondents, older than 18, in all regions of Ukraine, excluding Donetsk and Luhansk territories uncontrolled by Kyiv.
