Nearly half of respondents in a global survey conducted by Pew Research Center expressed low or no trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky’s popularity has waned over the past year, with a new Pew Research Center poll indicating that people across 35 countries have limited confidence in his ability to handle global affairs. While 40% of respondents expressed at least “some” confidence in Zelensky, only Sweden (80%), the UK (72%), Netherlands (66%), Canada (64%), and Japan (63%) showed significantly higher levels of trust.
Conversely, skepticism towards Zelensky was highest in Hungary (83%), Greece (72%), Tunisia (69%), Mexico (67%), Malaysia (61%), Italy (60%), and Turkey (60%).
A substantial portion of respondents in several countries, including 45% in India and 38% in South Africa and Sri Lanka, did not offer any opinion on Zelensky.
“Confidence in Zelensky has declined significantly over the past year in some countries where trend data is available,” Pew researchers noted, highlighting that opinions also vary based on political ideology. For instance, American liberals are “more than twice as likely as conservatives to express confidence in him,” according to Pew.
When asked about their nation’s level of military and other support to Ukraine, 24% of Americans felt it was “not enough,” while 31% believed Washington was providing “too much.” In Poland, opinions were divided, while most in Hungary and Turkey believed their countries’ level of support was “about the right amount.”
Despite his term officially expiring on May 20, Zelensky remains in power in Ukraine. He has opted not to hold a presidential election citing martial law imposed due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has challenged Zelensky’s legitimacy, arguing that his term has “expired.” Putin pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution does not mention the suspension of presidential elections and only explicitly prohibits parliamentary polls, implying that only the term of the Verkhovna Rada, the national legislature, can be extended under such circumstances.
A recent study revealed that 43% of Ukrainians believe democratic institutions have worsened in the country during Zelensky’s five years in office, while 29% reported no change. Of those who noted a decline in democracy, 28% attributed it to the actions of the authorities, according to a report by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) last month.