It’s been two years since Euromaidan in Ukraine. What does polling and economic data show?
Petro Poroshenko’s approval rating at the end of 2015 fell to just 17% -- significantly lower than Viktor Yanukovych’s 28% before he was ousted. According to a January 2016 survey from Gallup, this low rating reflects Ukrainians’ growing dissatisfaction with Poroshenko’s leadership.
World Bank data suggests that Ukrainians have less purchasing power today than they did when the Soviet Union disintegrated – though there were far fewer goods and services available to purchase in those days. The value of the hryvnya has depreciated by 70% in two years while consumer prices continue to grow each month.
Ukrainians have the lowest confidence in their national government since 2007, the survey showed. Less than one in five say their leadership is headed in the right direction, according to Gallup.
Transparency International ranked Ukraine 142nd out of 175 in 2014 –perceived as the most corrupt country in Europe and as more corrupt than Sierra Leone or Honduras. While U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has praised the government’s steps to curb corruption, nine in 10 Ukrainians still say corruption is widespread in their government.
Despite these challenges, Bloomberg financial data suggests that Ukraine’s economy will grow by 1.4% in 2016. In contrast, Russia’s economy is predicted to contract by 0.5% as the price of oil continues to tumble.
