85% of Ukrainians would vote yes for state independence in hypothetical referendum – survey

If a referendum on Ukraine's declaration of state independence were held today, most Ukrainians (85%) would vote to support independence.

The Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center conducted a respective survey.

Support for independence has peaked in the past 23 years of sociological research. The only time it was higher was in August 2022 at 87.5%.

Approximately half of Ukrainians feel that during Ukraine's period of independence, there were both good and bad occurrences. One out of four (25%) feels that the good outweighed the bad, while 17% believe the opposite.

Three-quarters (76% of Ukrainians) are convinced that Russians do not perceive Ukraine as an independent sovereign state. Moreover, such assessments prevail among all socio-demographic groups of respondents, regardless of their age, gender, type of settlement, level of education, and income.

The Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center's survey was conducted from August 8 to 15, 2024, among 2,017 respondents only in territories controlled by the Ukrainian government and where hostilities are not taking place. The theoretical sampling error does not exceed 2.3%.

For reference:

The All-Ukrainian referendum was held on December 1, 1991. Citizens of Ukraine expressed their support for independence.

The referendum consisted of a single question: "Do you confirm the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine?" A total of 31.2 million people, or 84.2% of Ukraine's population, participated in the vote. Out of those, 28.8 million (90.3%) voted in favor.

Ukraine's Independence Day is a yearly holiday celebrated on August 24 to mark the adoption of the Act of Proclamation of Independence in 1991. This historic document was passed during an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR and declared the establishment of an independent Ukrainian nation.

It should be noted that the National Bank has issued updated banknotes of the national currency for the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, supplementing their designs with the slogan "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!"

According to Rubryka, a staggering 91.4% of Ukrainians surveyed expressed pride in their citizenship. This figure has grown significantly over the years—from 62.4% in 2000 to 61.8% in 2010, to 68.4% in 2015, and finally reaching a high of 94% in 2023.

The survey also revealed that:

• 95.8% of the participants expressed pride or a positive attitude towards the Ukrainian flag,
• 96.5% towards the Ukrainian coat of arms,
• and 90.4% towards the national anthem of Ukraine.

As for identification, 52.8% of respondents consider themselves primarily Ukrainians.