The level of trust in Ukrainian government institutions is declining, but the Armed Forces and Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi remain at the center of public confidence

Ukraine has seen a sharp decline in trust in all government institutions over the past year, with the exception of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). According to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), the number of Ukrainians who do not trust the president has increased from 5% to 18%, while trust in the Verkhovna Rada has dropped by more than half.

According to sociological research, criticism of the authorities is increasing among the population compared to December 2022. Confidence in the Verkhovna Rada has dropped from 35% to 15%, while distrust has increased from 34% to 61%. Trust in the Government decreased from 52% to 26%, and distrust increased from 19% to 44%.

Currently, 62% of respondents trust the President, while 18% do not trust him. In December 2022, these figures were higher, when 84% trusted the president and only 5% distrusted him.

"The balance of trust and distrust in the president has decreased from +80% in December 2022 to +42% now. Although there has been a significant decrease, it remains positive with a large predominance of those who trust the president," the KIIS said.

Trust in the Armed Forces remains high at 96%, which indicates stable support for the army. Also, 88% of Ukrainians express confidence in Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi (only 4% do not).

In this context, it is important to note that the majority of citizens (59%) have confidence in both the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Only 14% showed polarized views, trusting Zaluzhnyi and distrusting the president, or, conversely, trusting the president but distrusting the commander-in-chief.

Ukrainians also showed slightly less trust in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), but currently the majority (58%) still trust it, compared to 16% who do not. Even lower trust is observed in the National Police, where the decline from 58% trust in December 2022 to 41% is now significant.

Low trust scores are assigned to courts and prosecutors, where only 12% trust courts and 9% trust prosecutors. Distrust in them is 61% and 64%, respectively. At the same time, trust in volunteers remains high - 84% of citizens trust them, while only 3% distrust them.

A noticeable drop in trust is observed in the Ukrainian media, where trust has decreased from 57% to 29% over the past year. The public also shows less trust in the Church, where the decline has been from 51% to 38% over the year.

The decline in public trust in government institutions is explained by unfulfilled expectations and claims to efficiency and transparency. In contrast, it is important to note that the majority of Ukrainians (59%) remain reasonable in trusting both the president and the commander-in-chief. This indicates a desire for unity among citizens and a response to attempts to discredit the commander-in-chief that cause negative reactions in society. Ukrainians, in their majority, have a carefully balanced trust in both the president and the commander-in-chief, sociologists emphasize.