Working with an academic paper: Part 2

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Sociological analysis of the factors shaping citizen attitudes to local governments in Ukraine

Part 2

Nevertheless, we should not underestimate some other factors — not only of a socio-economic but also of a sociocultural and psychological nature — which may have an impact on electoral choice too. Politicians use various means to persuade people to vote for them — from distributing free food parcels to seniors, renovating playgrounds and patching potholes during an election campaign to eye-catching billboard advertisements and even celebrity endorsement. So, one should not confuse “one-off” actions (such as repairing a road just before the election) with those aimed at the true improvement of living conditions in a particular city or neighbourhood. On the other hand, there are people who vote for the incumbent despite not being really satisfied with his/her work. Rather, they do so “for the sake of stability” — choosing a “familiar face”, in their view, will not entail any unpredictable change.

Therefore, it is necessary to specify the factors conducive to citizen satisfaction with local governments and then try to conclude how these factors can determine one’s choice in favour of a particular candidate at local elections. For this purpose, we will use the findings of a recent (September–October 2020) nationwide survey. This survey was carried out by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine within the framework of the project “Ukrainian society: Monitoring social changes”. In total, 1,800 persons aged 18 and over, as well as from different socio-demographic groups, were interviewed¹. The study covered all Ukraine’s regions, except for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and non-government controlled areas in the East; therefore, the data obtained can be generalised to the entire population of Ukraine.

We will start our inquiry from analysing Ukrainians’ overall attitude towards local (municipal and other) authorities. As can be seen from Table 1, oblast state administrations got rather low marks: only 1.6% and 16.3% of respondents evaluated OSAs’ work “very” and “somewhat positively”, whereas 19.3% and 23.2% respectively held opposite views on that issue. Raion state administrations, mayors and ULC heads “scored” a little higher: 27.6% of those surveyed were “somewhat positive” about their work. Nonetheless, negative opinions prevailed².

Table 1

The answers given by respondents to the question: “How do you evaluate the work of … ?” (%)

Source: [Vorona & Shulha, 2020: p. 459].

Within the framework of the survey, respondents were also asked whether they were satisfied with the work of city/town and raion councillors⁴. According to the figures, around one seventh (15.1%) reported being “somewhat satisfied” and 1.2% were even “completely satisfied”. However, 28.6% and 19.8% respectively were “somewhat” or “completely dissatisfied”. Another point worth noting is that over one-third (35.3%) of those surveyed were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied” with their local councils. Several explanations of this phenomenon can be given. The respondents might feel dissatisfied with the people they elected, but at the same time be unwilling to say that openly. They might not know what local authorities are supposed to do (or what has been already done in their city/district). Anyway, further research is needed to clarify the situation.

After analysing Ukrainians’ satisfaction with local governments in general, we will focus on some particular indicators related to their performance. Utility service quality is the first one on the list. Apart from water and power supply, sewerage, as well as waste collection and disposal, these services usually include lift maintenance and repairs, hallway and staircase cleaning, pest control, lawn care, snow removal, etc. Table 2 shows that just over a fifth (22.4%) of respondents were on the whole satisfied with utility services, whereas more than twice as many (47.5%) expressed dissatisfaction. The rest (30.0%) did not give a definite answer. Relatively more (31.1%), answering the question about the condition of their apartment block or yard, considered it satisfactory. 44.4% of those surveyed were either “somewhat” or “completely dissatisfied”, and nearly a quarter (24.5%) found it difficult to answer. From this set of data, it can reasonably be inferred that a significant part of Ukraine’s population do not live a comfortable life (in regard to their neighbourhoods).

Table 2

The answers given by respondents to the question: “To what extent are you satisfied with … ?” (%)

Source: [Vorona & Shulha, 2020: p. 510].

Well, how do our fellow citizens feel outside their habitations — for example, while travelling to work by bus or by car? It is known that poor road conditions and inadequate public transportation not only affect oneʼs feeling of comfort but also pose a real threat to commuters. The “Ukrainian society” data suggest that roads in this country are far from being perfect; on the other hand, they are not dilapidated either. 51.6% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with road construction and maintenance, but 28,7% reported feeling satisfied (see Table 3). As for public transit, positive evaluations outweighed, albeit not very significantly, negative ones — 43.5% “somewhat” and “completely satisfied” versus 34.0% dissatisfied.

Relatively few respondents (15.1%) evaluated favourably the work of local police department. Instead, 26.9% and 22.7% were “somewhat” and “completely dissatisfied”; so, around half of Ukraineʼs population may not feel safe and secure enough in their localities. This is rather disquieting — given that the police reform was warmly welcomed in Ukrainian society: in September 2015, 57% Ukrainians expressed trust in the police, according to a survey conducted by Kantar Ukraine. By June 2020, however, this figure had dropped to 31%, or nearly by half [Kantar Ukraine, 2020].

The performance of healthcare providers also leaves much to be desired: 27.7% and 32.9% of those surveyed said they were “completely” or “somewhat dissatisfied” with healthcare services, and just a little over 15% expressed complete or partial satisfaction. The nationʼs health reform was initiated three years ago, and, according to the Ministry, some progress has been made since then [Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 2019]. Still, there is plenty of work to be done, especially against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Table 3

The answers given by respondents to the question: “How satisfied are you with … ?” (%)

Source: [Vorona & Shulha, 2020: p. 510].

Preschools and schools compare favourably to the other institutions mentioned in this research paper: 31.8% of those interviewed reported feeling satisfied with the availability and quality of services provided by kindergartens, whereas 26.3% of them were dissatisfied. The figures for schools were as follows: 36.1% of respondents expressed satisfaction with their services and 24.7% felt dissatisfied. Besides, 33.2% of those interviewed thought that there are not enough playgrounds (and sports classes for children either) in their locality.

The data also indicate a high portion of those who gave “ambivalent” responses: 41.8% and 39.1% respectively were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied” with preschool and school services (see Table 4). We may assume that some of these respondents did not have children of school age (or preschoolers) at the time of the survey; therefore, further analysis is required so as to separate their answers from the rest of the sample and to compare new figures with the original ones. This step could allow us to evaluate the work of these institutions more precisely.

Table 4

The answers given by respondents to the question: “To what degree are you satisfied with … ?” (%)

Source: [Vorona & Shulha, 2020: p. 510]

Explanatory notes

1 The principles of sample design for a survey within this project are thoroughly described in the brochure “Ukrainian society in 1992–2018: Monitoring social changes” [Golovakha, Panina, & Parakhonska, 2019: p. 6].

2 Unfortunately, due to the wording of the question, it does not seem possible to differentiate between a respondent’s evaluation of the mayor’s performance and that of raion state administration.

3Oblast (which roughly corresponds to province) is a sub-national entity in Ukraine. Oblast capitals are usually big cities such as Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, etc. Ukraine consists of 24 oblasts, which are subdivided into raions.

4 In most academic papers, newspaper articles, official documents, etc. written by Ukrainians, local councillors are usually called deputies.

References

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Answer the following questions.

1. What factors usually have an impact on electoral choice?

2. What indicators are related to the performance of local governments?

3. How did Ukrainians evaluate the work of oblast state administrations last year?

4. How many respondents were completely satisfied with healthcare services in 2020?

5. To what degree were Ukrainians satisfied with the availability and affordability of sports (and other) classes for children?

Extra task