Trust and Distrust of Ukrainians in Courts and Law Enforcement Before and After the Full-Scale Invasion

In January 2025, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) presented very significant and impressive results of a new survey focused on the issues of dynamics of trust in social institutions in 2021-2024[1].

The survey was conducted among adult (aged 18 and older) citizens of Ukraine who, at the time of the survey, were residing in the territory of Ukraine controlled by the Government of Ukraine. The sample did not include residents of territories temporarily not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities (at the same time, some of the respondents were IDPs who had moved from the occupied territories), and the survey did not cover citizens who had left the country after 24 February 2022[2].

In the case of the Armed Forces, support remains consistently very high – 92% trust them and only 2% do not (a year ago, the figures were 96% and 1%, respectively). The balance of trust and distrust is +90%.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) also maintains a fairly high level of trust (despite a slight decline compared to last year). Thus, 54% of Ukrainians trust the SBU, while 21% do not (in December 2023, the figures were 58% to 16%). The balance of trust and distrust is +33% (last year it was +42%).

Trust in the police has declined slightly, with those who trust the police falling from 41% to 37%, while those who do not trust the police rose from 29% to 38%.

Trust in the courts and prosecutors remains critically low. Only 12% of Ukrainians trust the courts and only 9% trust prosecutors. The percentage of those who do not trust them is 63% and 67%, respectively. Compared to last year, the situation has not changed.

[1] Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (2024). Dynamics of trust in social institutions in 2021-2024. Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. Source – www.kiis.com.ua

[2] Using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers (with random generation of phone numbers and subsequent statistical weighting), 985 respondents were interviewed in all regions of Ukraine (territory controlled by the Government of Ukraine).

Source