This survey took place 27-30 May 2016 and was conducted throughout all of Russia in both urban and rural settings. The survey was carried out among 1600 people over the age of 18 in 137 localities of 48 of the country’s regions. The survey was conducted as a personal interview in respondents’ homes. The answer distribution is presented as percentages of the number of participants along with data from previous surveys. The statistical error of these studies does not exceed 3.4% for indicators around 50%.
Results of public opinion study, demonstrating the opinions of Ukrainians, belong to the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING CURRENT EVENTS IN UKRAINE? (Russians’ opinions – data from Levada-Center)
| Very closely | Somewhat closely | Not very closely | Not at all | Haven’t heard about this | |
| May 16 | 8 | 29 | 46 | 16 | 1 |
| Mar.16 | 7 | 33 | 43 | 16 | 1 |
| Feb.16 | 9 | 29 | 43 | 17 | 2 |
| Jan.16 | 8 | 25 | 48 | 16 | 4 |
| Nov.15 | 10 | 27 | 46 | 16 | 2 |
| Oct.15 | 9 | 32 | 42 | 16 | 1 |
| Sept.15 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 12 | 2 |
| Aug.15 | 13 | 32 | 41 | 14 | 1 |
| Jul.15 | 15 | 36 | 38 | 11 | 1 |
| Jun.15 | 18 | 36 | 35 | 10 | 1 |
| May.15 | 13 | 37 | 37 | 11 | 2 |
| Apr.15 | 14 | 33 | 38 | 14 | <1 |
| Mar.15 | 17 | 40 | 34 | 8 | 1 |
| Feb.15 | 15 | 43 | 33 | 9 | 1 |
| Jan.15 | 16 | 43 | 35 | 5 | 1 |
| Dec.14 | 13 | 35 | 41 | 9 | 1 |
| Nov.14 | 15 | 37 | 36 | 11 | 1 |
| Aug.14 | 15 | 49 | 30 | 6 | 1 |
| Jul.14 | 16 | 48 | 29 | 5 | 1 |
| Jun.14 | 20 | 45 | 29 | 6 | 1 |
| May.14 | 12 | 46 | 34 | 8 | 1 |
| Apr.14 | 12 | 48 | 30 | 10 | 1 |
| Mar.14 | 18 | 46 | 29 | 4 | 3 |
| Feb.14 | 13 | 44 | 31 | 9 | 4 |
| Jan.14 | 9 | 35 | 40 | 10 | 6 |
| Dec.13 | 4 | 21 | 40 | 17 | 18 |
DO YOU SUPPORT CRIMEA JOINING RUSSIA? (Russians’ opinions – data from Levada-Center)
| Definitely yes | Probably yes | Probably no | Definitely no | It is difficult to say | |
| May 16 | 57 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Feb.16 | 45 | 37 | 10 | 3 | 5 |
| Jan.16 | 47 | 36 | 9 | 4 | 4 |
| Nov.15 | 48 | 35 | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| Sept.15 | 54 | 30 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| Aug.15 | 50 | 33 | 10 | 2 | 5 |
| Jul.15 | 51 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| May.15 | 56 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
| Apr.15 | 55 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Mar.15 | 55 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Feb.15 | 52 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| Jan.15 | 50 | 34 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Dec.14 | 50 | 36 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| Nov.14 | 53 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Oct.14 | 55 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| May.14 | 54 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Mar.14 | 57 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
DO YOU SUPPORT CRIMEA JOINING RUSSIA? (Ukrainians’ opinions – data from KIIS)
| Feb.16 | |
| Definitely yes | 5 |
| Probably yes | 5 |
| Probably no | 18 |
| Definitely no | 62 |
| It is difficult to say | 11 |
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE CURRENT SITUATION IN EASTERN UKRAINE? (Russians’ opinions – data from Levada-Center)
| Oct.15 | Nov.15 | Jan.16 | Feb.16 | May 16 | |
| Good | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Calm | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Tense | 64 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 66 |
| Critical, volatile | 15 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 17 |
| It is difficult to say | 9 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 |
IN YOUR OPINION, HOW WILL THE SITUATION IN EASTERN UKRAINE CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF THE COMING YEAR? (Russians’ opinions – data from Levada-Center)
| Nov.15 | Jan.16 | Feb.16 | May 16 | |
| Improve | 14 | 13 | 13 | 9 |
| Worsen | 24 | 27 | 22 | 25 |
| Remain the same | 46 | 44 | 51 | 52 |
| It is difficult to say | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 |
IN YOUR OPINION, ARE RUSSIANS AND UKRAINIANS ONE NATIONALITY OR TWO DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES?* (N=800)
|
Nov. 04 |
Nov. 05 |
Dec. 06 |
Jan. 07* |
Nov. 07 |
Dec. 13 |
Mar. 14 |
Mar. 15 |
Sept. 15 |
May. 16 |
|
| One nationality | 79 | 81 | 53 | 76 | 49 | 43 | 56 | 52 | 46 | 49 |
| Two different nationalities | 18 | 17 | 41 | 21 | 46 | 50 | 38 | 40 | 47 | 43 |
| It is difficult to say | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
* In 2004-2005 and January 2007 this question was given in the following formula: “ARE RUSSIANS, UKRAINIANS, AND BELARUSIANS THREE DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES OR THREE BRANCHES OF THE SAME NATIONALITY?”
WITH WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING OPINIONS ON RUSSIAN-UKRAINE RELATIONS WOULD YOU MOST AGREE? (Russians’ opinions – data from Levada-Center)
| Russia’s relations with Ukraine should be the same as with other countries – with closed borders, visas, customs | Russia and Ukraine should be independent but friendly nations – with open borders, no visas or customs |
Russia and Ukraine should unite into one state |
It is difficult to say | |
| May 16 | 36 | 53 | 7 | 4 |
| Jan.16 | 32 | 52 | 11 | 5 |
| Sept.15 | 25 | 59 | 8 | 7 |
| May 15 | 30 | 54 | 10 | 6 |
| Jan.15 | 33 | 52 | 8 | 8 |
| Sept.14 | 26 | 62 | 7 | 5 |
| May.14 | 28 | 54 | 12 | 6 |
| Mar.14 | 16 | 50 | 28 | 7 |
| Jan.14 | 19 | 59 | 16 | 6 |
| Oct.13 | 23 | 55 | 16 | 6 |
| May.13 | 19 | 58 | 15 | 8 |
| Jan.13 | 13 | 64 | 18 | 6 |
| Sept.12 | 14 | 60 | 20 | 6 |
| May.12 | 17 | 62 | 14 | 7 |
| Jan.12 | 16 | 61 | 16 | 8 |
| Sept.11 | 16 | 63 | 14 | 6 |
| May.11 | 16 | 64 | 15 | 5 |
| Jan.11 | 20 | 61 | 13 | 6 |
| Sept.10 | 16 | 60 | 18 | 6 |
| May.10 | 17 | 64 | 13 | 6 |
| Jan.10 | 25 | 55 | 14 | 6 |
| Sept.09 | 25 | 55 | 13 | 7 |
| May.09 | 25 | 55 | 14 | 6 |
| Jan.09 | 29 | 51 | 12 | 8 |
| Sept.08 | 24 | 52 | 13 | 11 |
| Mar.08 | 19 | 56 | 19 | 6 |
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE UKRAINE’S RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA? (Ukrainians’ opinions – data from KIIS)
|
Relations should include closed borders, visas, customs |
Relations should include open borders, no visas or customs |
Ukraine and Russian should unite into one state |
It is difficult to say | |
| May 16 | 44 | 44 | 3 | 9 |
| Feb.16 | 43 | 43 | 4 | 11 |
| Sept.15 | 46 | 45 | 2 | 7 |
| May.15 | 45 | 46 | 2 | 7 |
| Feb.15 | 48 | 43 | 4 | 6 |
| Dec.14 | 50 | 42 | 3 | 5 |
| Sept.14 | 45 | 44 | 5 | 6 |
| Apr.14 | 32 | 54 | 8 | 5 |
| Feb.14 | 15 | 68 | 12 | 5 |
| Nov.13 | 12 | 73 | 9 | 6 |
| May.13 | 11 | 69 | 14 | 5 |
| Feb.13 | 13 | 68 | 16 | 3 |
| Sept.12 | 11 | 72 | 14 | 3 |
| Feb.12 | 13 | 69 | 16 | 2 |
| Nov.11 | 13 | 67 | 16 | 2 |
| Oct.10 | 10 | 67 | 20 | 2 |
| Jun.10 | 12 | 70 | 16 | 2 |
| Mar.10 | 11 | 67 | 19 | 3 |
| Jan.10 | 8 | 66 | 22 | 4 |
| Oct.09 | 11 | 67 | 19 | 3 |
| May.09 | 10 | 65 | 23 | 2 |
| Feb.09 | 8 | 68 | 23 | 1 |
| Sept.08 | 17 | 66 | 16 | 2 |
| Apr.08 | 10 | 67 | 20 | 3 |
OVERALL, WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ATTITUDE TOWARD UKRAINE? (Russians’ opinions – data from Levada-Center)
| Very positive | Mostly positive | Mostly negative | Very negative | It is difficult to say | |
| 27-30 May 2016 | 4 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 13 |
| 22-25 May 2016 | 2 | 24 | 45 | 18 | 12 |
| Mar.16 | 2 | 23 | 42 | 22 | 11 |
| Jan.16 | 2 | 26 | 37 | 22 | 14 |
| Nov.15 | 2 | 25 | 42 | 21 | 10 |
| Sept.15 | 4 | 29 | 36 | 20 | 11 |
| May.15 | 3 | 23 | 36 | 23 | 14 |
| Mar.15 | 3 | 28 | 34 | 21 | 13 |
| Nov.14 | 3 | 25 | 40 | 19 | 12 |
| Sept.14 | 3 | 29 | 39 | 16 | 13 |
| May.14 | 5 | 30 | 33 | 16 | 17 |
| Mar.14 | 6 | 46 | 28 | 9 | 11 |
| Sept.13 | 7 | 62 | 20 | 3 | 8 |
| Mar.13 | 8 | 61 | 19 | 3 | 9 |
| Sept.12 | 8 | 66 | 14 | 3 | 10 |
OVERALL, WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ATTITUDE TOWARD RUSSIA? (Ukrainians’ opinions – data from KIIS)
| Very positive | Mostly positive | Mostly negative | Very negative | It is difficult to say | |
| May 16 | 9 | 33 | 29 | 14 | 15 |
| Feb.16 | 9 | 27 | 28 | 19 | 16 |
| Sept.15 | 9 | 25 | 22 | 31 | 13 |
| May 15 | 5 | 25 | 25 | 32 | 14 |
| Feb.15 | 7 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 15 |
| Dec.14 | 7 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 16 |
| Sept.14 | 14 | 34 | 23 | 19 | 11 |
| Apr.14 | 17 | 35 | 19 | 19 | 10 |
| Feb.14 | 27 | 51 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| Sept.13 | 34 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| Feb.13 | 32 | 53 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Sept.12 | 34 | 49 | 8 | 3 | 6 |
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT EASTERN UKRAINE’S (DONETSK, LUGANSK REGIONS) POLITICAL FUTURE? WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING VERSIONS WOULD YOU PREFER?
|
|
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |||||||||||
| III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | XI | XII | I | II | VI | V | ||
| I would like for Eastern Ukraine to become part of the Russian Federation | 48 | 35 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 19 | 22 | |
| I would like for Eastern Ukraine to become an independent state | 12 | 25 | 36 | 39 | 41 | 40 | 46 | 43 | 40 | 43 | 41 | 39 | 38 | |
| I would like for Eastern Ukraine to remain part of Ukraine, but with greater independence from Kiev | 17 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 20 | |
| I would like for Eastern Ukraine to remain part of Ukraine under the same conditions as before the crisis | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 6 | |
| It is difficult to say | 15 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | |
WITH WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION WOULD YOU MOST LIKELY ASSOCIATE YOURSELF?
| Inhabitant of Russia (Levada-Center) | Inhabitant of Ukraine (KIIS) | |
| We don’t even have enough money for food | 3 | 18 |
| We have enough money for food, but not for clothes | 18 | 50 |
| We have enough money for food and clothes, but more expensive purchases, like a television or refrigerator, are problematic | 54 | 29 |
| We can purchase some expensive items, like a refrigerator or television, but we cannot afford a car | 21 | 2 |
| We can afford a car, but can’t say that money isn’t tight | 3 | <1 |
| We can afford anything | <1 | |
| No answer | 1 | 1 |
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).