You're reading: Poll: Yanukovych leading approval rating, 9% ahead of Tymoshenko

Ukraine's incumbent President Viktor Yanukovych is currently leading the job approval rating for Ukrainian political leaders (22%), according to the findings of a survey conducted by Research Branding Group.

Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko was rated at 13%, the top three is rounded out by Front for Change leader Arseniy Yatseniuk (9%).

Were the elections to the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada held in the nearest future, the 3% election threshold would be passed by six political forces: Party of Regions (21%), BYT-Batkivschyna (13%), Front for Change (8%), Strong Ukraine and the Communist Party (4% each), as well as the All-Ukrainian Freedom Organization (3%).

Also, according to the poll, 14% respondents said the political situation in Ukraine is stable, while half of them (51%) had the opposite point of view.

The number of Ukrainians disapproving of the domestic situation has fallen 7% on February 2011.

Two-thirds of the respondents (64%) are dissatisfied and one-third (33%) are satisfied with life.

Seventy percent of the respondents rated Ukraine’s economic situation as generally bad, while 27% said it was average and good.

The number of respondents who rated the country’s economic situation as good and average has fallen 9% on December 2010.

The survey of the Ukrainian public opinion on the pressing issues concerning the country’s socio-political and economic life was conducted by Research Branding Group on March 1-9, 2011.

Information was gathered by the interviewing method in 24 Ukrainian regions and the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Respondents were selected in a quota sample representing the adult population by residence (region), gender and age. Total selection was 2,075 people. The expected average margin of error is +-2.2%.