Page 15 - bne IntelliNews Ukraine Country Report May 2017

increased since IRI’s first nationwide survey in 2015. This contrasts sharply with the majority across the board who feel that Ukraine is going in the wrong direction. Over the past three years, a majority of cities have improved their composite indicators of the quality of public goods and services, and the overall level of satisfaction with the interaction between citizens and local authorities.
While a substantial portion of respondents continue to rate corruption as a significant problem in their cities, the number has reduced by a minimum of 10 points across all cities surveyed. This represents a gradual decrease in the perceived severity of corruption at the local level over three consecutive years.
Despite this discernible progress at the local level, attitudes as a whole remain pessimistic . The data suggests that the economic crisis is still acutely felt in Ukrainian households. In all but two cities surveyed, the percentage of respondents who believe that Ukraine is headed in the right direction has decreased over the last three years. However, it is important to note that Ukrainian cities continue to show strong support for the country’s path towards European integration: in all but one city, a majority or plurality supports Ukraine’s accession into the European Union.
15 RUSSIA Country Report April 2017 www.intellinews.com