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Press Release Ukrainians would like the Dutch to vote "FOR" the Association Agreement – Public opinion poll March 29, 2016
GfK Ukraine conducted a nationwide public opinion poll to determine the attitude of Ukrainian population to the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and the expectations from the referendum to be held in the Netherlands on 6 April 2016. Survey results show that 64% of Ukrainians consider signing and ratification of the Association Agreement with the EU by Ukraine, which took place in 2014, as a right move. The opposite opinion is shared by only 24%. Besides, 55% of Ukrainians agree with the statement that the Association Agreement with the EU will help Ukraine to get rid of corruption and build up a stable democracy. Men are more likely to support the Agreement (71% for and 21% against the Agreement) than women (58% for and 27% against). Support for the Association Agreement prevails in all regions of Ukraine under the control of Kyiv government. The most positive attitude towards the Agreement is shared by the residents of western regions - 80% support (against the Agreement only 11% here). Among the inhabitants of the southern and eastern regions (including the districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by the government), this support is lower - 45%, but nevertheless it still prevails over the opposition towards the Agreement here (39%). An even greater share of Ukrainians - 72% - wish the population of the Netherlands voted "for" the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine at the referendum on 6 April this year. Only 13% wish the citizens of the Netherlands voted "against". Among men, there is a greater level of the wish to have a positive outcome of the Dutch referendum - 79% compared to 67% among women. In regional distribution, the wish to have a positive result of the referendum in the Netherlands prevails all over Ukraine. The greatest expectations regarding the Dutch referendum are among the residents of the western regions: 83% wish to see the Dutch voted "for", only 7% "against." However, the vast majority - 57% - of the inhabitants of the southern and eastern regions also wish to see a positive result of the expression of the will of the Dutch citizens, and only 21% - a negative one. There were no significant differences found in the level of support for the Agreement and expectations of the outcome of the referendum in the Netherlands on such grounds as age and size of the settlement where the respondent resides. Commenting on the survey results, Inna Volosevych, Head of Social and Political Research Department at GfK Ukraine, said: "On the eve of the referendum in the Netherlands 72%, i.e. the absolute majority of Ukrainians
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spoke in favour of the Association Agreement. Interestingly, the share of those who wish the Dutch voted "for" the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine is even larger than of those who consider signing the Agreement the right move for Ukraine. So, a part of those who did not support the signing of the Agreement are aware of the irreversibility of Ukraine's European choice, and therefore wish the Dutch supported this choice". About the survey The survey was conducted during 16-18 March 2016 at the request of the International Renaissance Foundation. Survey methodology - telephone interview (CATI), calls to mobile phones. The sample is representative of the population of Ukraine by age, sex, size of settlement and region of residence according to the State Service of Statistics of Ukraine as of 01.01.2015 excluding Crimea and areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions not controlled by the government. The sample size is 800 interviews; margin of sample error is 3.5%. Regional distribution of responses is presented for the macro-regions: West (Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Ternopil, Chernivtsi regions); North (Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv regions, and the city of Kyiv); Centre (Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Khmelnytsky, Cherkasy regions); South East (Kharkiv, Donetsk (part of the region under the control of Ukraine), Luhansk (part of the region under the control of Ukraine), Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson regions). The survey was not conducted in the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions not controlled by the Government of Ukraine, as well as in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol occupied by Russia. In case of any questions about this poll please contact Dmytro Shulga, European programme initiative director, International Renaissance Foundation +38 044 461-9500,
[email protected] or Anastasia Vitkovska, Researcher of Social and Political Research Department GfK Ukraine, +38 044 230-0260,
[email protected] About GfK GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK’s long-standing data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers’ experiences and choices. For more information, please visit www.gfk.com or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK
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