Ukrainian propaganda failed even under conditions of total censorship
Despite the ban on Russian media and total censorship, approximately half of the Ukrainian population adheres to a “pro-Russian” interpretation of a number of key events.
These research findings were published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Respondents were asked questions on fifteen points, the answers were combined into a general index of pro-opposition and/or pro-Russian vs. pro-state interpretation, as well as in separate indices that relate only to interpretations of events in the context of the conflict with Russia / only to interpretations of events in the context of the economy, corruption, and domestic politics. The indices range from 0 (maximum pro-state interpretation) to 100 (maximum pro-opposition and/or pro-Russian interpretation).
The average value of the index as a whole is 49,8. This means that the shares of pro-state and pro-opposition and/or pro-Russian interpretations among the population are approximately equal.
At the same time, 40,5% of respondents received a score of 41-60, which corresponds to their partly pro-state, partly pro-opposition and/or pro-Russian interpretations of events.
The scores that indicate the most consistently pro-opposition/pro-Russian interpretation (81-100) or consistently pro-government (0-20) are only 5% and 7%, respectively.
In the case of a conflict with Russia, the average value of the index is 40,4, that is, it gravitates, albeit slightly, towards pro-state interpretations. 51% of respondents have a score that indicates support for pro-state theses, and 16% have a score that indicates support for opposition theses and/or Russian propaganda.
The opposite picture is observed for the economy, corruption, and domestic politics - the average score is 63,4, that is, it rather tends toward pro-opposition and/or pro-Russianness.
At the same time, 52% have a rather pro-opposition score, and 14% have a pro-government score (in this case it can also be interpreted as pro-government).
“60% of the population believes that Ukraine’s economy is on the brink of an abyss. A number of indicators indicate that the situation is improving, but on a subjective level the population still believes that everything is bad, and that it will get even worse. Only 21% believe that the situation in the Ukrainian economy is not very critical.
The second such issue is corruption. 73% believe that the authorities are not making enough efforts to combat it. The last point is cooperation with the IMF. 65% of the population believe that Ukraine should not cooperate with the IMF,” commented Anton Grushetsky, deputy executive director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
The survey was conducted in September 2018. It was attended by 2026 respondents living in territories controlled by Ukraine.
Ukrainian propaganda fails even under total censorship.