More than two thirds of Ukrainians think that national army would not be able to defend Ukraine in the case of there being a real threat of aggression from another countries, according to a nationwide phone survey conducted by Kyiv-based Gorshenin Institute of Management Issues.
According to the poll, 3.6% of the respondents definitely believe in the military efficiency of the Ukrainian army, while 19.8% said they were more likely than not to believe in the army’s fighting capacities.
Forty-four point nine percent of those polled were more likely than not to doubt the army’s ability to defend Ukraine, and 23.4% of Ukrainians had no confidence in the army.
Some 58.7% of respondents think that the Ukrainian army should consist both of contract soldiers and conscripts. At the same time, 25.1% of polled say that army must consist just of contract soldiers, while 7.9% said the army should consist only of conscripts.
Among the reasons why many young people do not want to serve in the army, 47.9% of those polled said it was a waste of an academic year and a risk to building a career.
For 33.7% of Ukrainian, the reason was the bad conditions for conscripts, while 32.7% say they did not want to serve because of the bullying of young conscripts by more senior ones, and 30.7% of polled think that the fear of the hardship and challenges of army life put young people off the army.
Moreover, 29.4% of Ukrainians said the absence of a sense of duty to the Motherland was behind the unwillingness of youth to service army, when 27.8% of citizens said it was due to bad living conditions in the army.
Another 11.5% said the discrediting of the army by the mass media and 4.7% the spread of pacifism in society are the main reasons for the unwillingness of young people to serve in the army.
A total of 1,000 respondents were interviewed on September 18-20. The poll’s margin of error is +/-3.2%.
