Ukrainians are scared by the sale of land to foreigners – sociology
The majority of Ukrainian citizens support the idea of holding a referendum on the sale of agricultural land, are ready to take part in it and vote against granting foreigners the right to buy Ukrainian land.
This is evidenced by the results of a social survey conducted by the sociological group "Rating", reports a correspondent of "PolitNavigator".
The attitude towards the referendum on the sale of agricultural land has not changed since 2019 - then 74% of respondents believed that the decision to introduce a land market should be made in a referendum, and now - 77%. The OPZZh electorate has the most supporters of the referendum - 91%, the least among the "European Solidarity" - 67%. In the center, south and east of the country there are slightly more supporters of the referendum than in the west - respectively, 78%, 80% and 77% versus 71%.
Moreover, 75% of respondents intend to take part in such a referendum if it is held.
“It’s difficult for me to judge now how frank these answers are. But they can be clearly compared with the indicators that we record before the elections. Approximately the same number of people declare their readiness to take part in the elections, but the actual turnout turns out to be lower. Participation in the life of the state is socially acceptable behavior, and in Ukraine it is not customary to admit that you do not go to vote. But voters may have reasons why they do not go to the polls, and the same may happen in a referendum,” said Rating director Alexey Antipovich at the presentation of the survey results.
The majority of respondents who expressed their readiness to take part in the referendum spoke out against the introduction of a land market.
“We asked very clearly how you would vote in a referendum on this question: “Do you support the introduction of a market for the purchase/sale of agricultural land in Ukraine?” We see that 36% would be in favor of introducing a land market, and 64% would be against it. Two-thirds are against, one-third are in favor,” the sociologist added.
The main argument against the market is the fear that foreigners will buy up the land. People were asked the question “How do you feel about granting foreigners the right to buy agricultural land in Ukraine?” Both in 2019 and now, about 80% of respondents do not support the idea of giving foreigners the right to buy agricultural land.
“The fear that foreigners will buy the land is one of the main factors causing great resistance to the idea of selling land. There is no difference here between residents of the West or the East or respondents from different age categories,” Antipovich concluded.
Ukrainians are scared by the sale of land to foreigners – sociology