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World Bank says 1.8 million more Ukrainians living in poverty since 2020. While the situation is dire, the World Bank said it would be much worse if Ukraine had not received foreign aid to help pay for pensions and salaries.
World Bank: Almost a third of Ukrainians live in poverty. The number of Ukrainians living in poverty has increased by 1.8mn since 2020, accounting for about 29% of the population, as the Russian invasion continues to damage the country's economy. The World Bank's regional director for Eastern Europe noted that the situation would have been much worse if Ukraine had not received significant external budgetary support to pay retirement pensions and salaries for teachers, doctors, and other core government services. According to the World Bank, last year about ninemn Ukrainians lived in poverty, with the country’s total population estimated at 32mn. The increase in poverty was caused by a decrease in employment: More than a fifth of the adult population who were working before the war lost their jobs. In June of last year, almost a quarter of Ukrainians did not have enough money for food and basic needs. However, the recovery in economic growth and the slowdown in inflation helped to improve food security in the second half of the year.
Scholz says his party's support for Ukraine is connected to its declining popularity. Many voters do not agree with the government's support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, which is "also reflected by the election results," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Half of Ukrainians say criticism of authorities needed but shouldn't destabilize country. Around 31% of the respondents said that the criticism must be harsh and uncompromising "as the only way to put pressure on the authorities" to correct their mistakes.
50% of Ukrainians think Zelensky failed to fulfill all or most pre-election promises, survey shows. Sociologists interviewed 1,002 respondents from all Ukrainian oblasts that are not under Russian occupation. The participants of the survey were asked to what extent Zelensky fulfilled his pre-election promises during his five years in office.
More than 40% of Ukrainian citizens believe democracy has declined in the country under the presidency of Vladimir Zelenskiy, according to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
According to KIIS, 90% of respondents said that they want Ukraine to fully embrace democratic ideals. However, 43% of Ukrainians say that democracy has deteriorated over the last five years during Zelenskiy’s presidential term.
Respondents were also asked which form of government they prefer - one with a stronger president or a stronger parliament. The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians (74%) responded that Ukraine should have a powerful parliament, which should at least consent to the president appointing the government and be able to fire it.
Almost half (49%) of respondents say that the economic situation has deteriorated over the past five years, with about a third pointing to government incompetence as the cause.
The survey was conducted on May 16-22 by calling random cell phone numbers. The poll covered 1,002 respondents who live in the Kyiv-controlled territory of Ukraine. The sampling error does not exceed 1.5-3.5%.
Zelenskiy's presidency During Zelenskiy's presidency, his opponents have repeatedly accused him of attacking democratic freedoms and persecuting the opposition. During this period, a number of TV channels were taken off the air, 12 political parties were banned, and persecution of the canonical Ukrainian
50 UKRAINE Country Report July 2024 www.intellinews.com