Almost 40% of Ukrainians have been manipulated about the causes of power outages – social survey results
According to an all-Ukrainian opinion poll commissioned by DiXi Group in September 2024, more than a third of Ukrainians believe in manipulative versions of the use of hourly blackout schedules, such as massive electricity exports (15.4%), deliberate shortages to raise prices (18.7%), or deliberate actions by the authorities to remind of the ongoing war (5.2%). At the same time, 57.7% of respondents believe that the main reason for the blackouts is damage to energy infrastructure as a result of Russian attacks.
In September, DiXi Group think tank, together with partners of the project “Integration of Sustainable Development in Ukraine in line with the European Green Deal”, conducted a nationwide sociological survey on environmental and energy issues during the war, post-war reconstruction and EU accession.
The results show that almost all Ukrainians are concerned about the environmental consequences of the war. Each of the answer choices demonstrates an increase compared to previous years.
Moreover, over 95% of respondents consider environmental protection to be important despite the war. The biggest environmental problem associated with Russia’s armed aggression is the mining of territories (82.6%). Water and air pollution are next on the list. However, the answers differ according to the respondents’ place of residence: sea pollution, for example, is an important problem only for residents of the South (45.6%). On the other hand, species extinction and ecosystem destruction are of the greatest concern to Kyiv residents (40.7%).
“In general, the opinion of Ukrainians on environmental issues has not changed in recent years, as water and air pollution also took the top spot in this rating in the 2022 survey. However, there is some dynamics, in particular, more and more respondents point to climate change. The difference is almost 10% compared to 2022,” says Natalia Andrusevych, Chair of the Governing Boardof the Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment”.
A separate section of the survey covered the issue of awareness and beliefs about the current situation in the energy sector and its readiness for winter. Among the priorities of state policy in the energy sector, Ukrainians surveyed highlighted the following: affordable prices, energy independence and the fight against monopolies.
“In times of war and constant attacks on energy infrastructure, it is extremely important to understand and take into account public opinion on the main directions of energy policy. In particular, these results should be used to formulate information policy and combat hostile disinformation,” said Roman Nitsovych, Research Director at DiXi Group.
For example, the answers to the questions about the causes of power outages in Ukraine are interesting and even shocking. “Such provocative answers were deliberately added to the survey to understand people’s real opinions about the blackouts. Such results undoubtedly demonstrate the problems in the information policy of the state, which should more effectively counteract hostile narratives and outright disinformation,” Roman Nitsovych comments on these answers.
The sociological survey also shows that the number of citizens who understand the importance of green reconstruction has increased by 3% over the past year to 25.9%. According to the respondents, the reconstruction of cities and housing should be based on the principles of safety, energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. The speed of reconstruction and its cost are less important factors. Ukrainians see the post-war development of the energy sector as a combination of two areas: increasing domestic production of fossil fuels such as gas, coal and oil (62.7%) and developing alternative energy sources (61.8%).
“People continue to believe that our own resources and strategic autonomy will allow us to be energy independent. However, there is an opposite opinion, which, due to statistical error, may be ranked first among the answers, – a reliance on renewable energy sources. Therefore, this vision of the future, which is enshrined in strategic state documents, such as the National Energy and Climate Plan, is in line with the vision of citizens,” Roman Nitsovych comments on these results.
“Often, the expert community and think tanks have a formed opinion on certain professional issues and are in their own bubble, surprised when the opinions of citizens are completely opposite according to the results of polls. Therefore, such studies are important, and the results obtained are extremely important to use in our work,” explains Natalia Andrusevych, explaining the purpose of the public opinion poll.
The detailed results of the study ‘European Future of Ukraine: Environment, Energy and Post-War Reconstruction in the Eyes of Citizens’ are available in the document:
The survey was conducted by the Sociological Group ‘Rating’ among 2000 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older in all regions, except for the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as Crimea and Donbas.
This policy brief presents the analysis of the findings of the public opinion survey on Ukraine’s post-war green reconstruction, the attitudes towards the environment and energy during the war, and the EU accession. The paper outlines key trends in the attitudes of Ukrainian people to the environment, energy, and EU accession during the war, and the vision for Ukraine’s future. It also includes certain comparisons with the data of nationwide sociological surveys from the previous years.
The publication was prepared with the financial support of the European Union within the project “Integration of Sustainable Development in Ukraine in line with the European Green Deal”. The project is implemented by a consortium of NGOs: DIXI GROUP (coordinator), Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment,” Association “Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine,” “Ukrainian Leadership Academy,” “Women’s Energy Club of Ukraine,” “DZYGA,” and “PLATO.”
The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the “Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment” NGO and the “DIXI GROUP” NGO, and does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union.
The sociological survey was made possible thanks to the co-financing of the Center for Liberal Modernity (Zentrum Liberale Moderne) within the project “Ukraine in Europe – German-Ukrainian Parliamentary Dialogue, Strengthening Competence on Ukraine in Germany and Promoting European Integration of Ukraine”.
The copyright for this policy brief shall be held by the “Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment” NGO and “DIXI GROUP” NGO. Any use, without written consent, apart from generally accepted scientific rules of citation, of information reflecting the content of this research note, shall be prohibited. To quote as: “The European future of Ukraine: environment, energy and post-war reconstruction through the eyes of citizens. Policy Brief. – Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment”, DIXI GROUP (2024).”
