Nearly half of Ukrainians think life was better in USSR, and even more say they’re anti-LGBT in new
Despite politicians in Kiev working to paint their country as the West’s front line against Russia, a new study has shown the nation is deeply divided over its current path, and about what its fundamental values should now be.
A poll of 2,000 Ukrainian citizens, published on Thursday by NGO, Rating, showed a clear gap between those happy with the direction the country is heading in, and those who think it’s on the wrong track. Although Kiev’s official line is that the country was an unwilling partner in the Soviet Union, 43% of respondents said that living standards were better when they were governed from Moscow. According to the researchers, views on the subject effectively depend on whether those answering had experienced life under the USSR. “Young people believe that today is better, while older people think differently.” The same applies to public services, where “only those who were born in post-independence Ukraine believe the level of medical care and education is better today. Older respondents, on the other hand, consider modern healthcare and education to be much worse.” On social issues, Ukrainians were equally divided. Overtures about the country’s shared values with the EU have underpinned its campaign for closer alignment. However, 47% of those polled in the study said they had a negative view of the LGBT+ community, while 42% looked down on those who choose not to have children. A majority of people, 51%, also back the reintroduction of the death penalty.
Further reading in https://www.rt.com/russia/532613-ukraine-life-ussr-better/
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