Ukrainian citizens support accession to EU and NATO - poll

MOSCOW. July 1 (Interfax) - Ukrainian citizens are demonstrating unanimity as regards their expectations about accession to the European Union and NATO, according to the finding of a public opinion survey conducted by the National Democratic Institute and the Kyiv National Institute of Sociology.

"Ninety percent of respondents at the national level want Ukraine to become a member of the European Union. The lowest level of support was at 84% in the east and south of the country. The majority of respondents - 73% at the national level - back [Ukraine's] accession to NATO," the Ukrainian media said, citing the poll results, which were published on Friday.

Furthermore, 87% of respondents expressed optimism over Ukraine's future.

"The Ukrainians are committed to the country's democratic development, and 94% of respondents note that a full-fledged functioning democracy is important to them," the poll results show.

The nationwide survey was developed and conducted by the National Democratic Institute in Ukraine. The fieldwork was carried by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from May 2 to May 11, 2022, by conducting 2,500 full interviews using the computer-assisted telephone interviewing method. The survey represents the opinion of only the adult population who currently live in Ukraine and use mobile phones. The poll was not conducted in the territories that had not been under the Ukrainian government's control before February 24, 2022. The average margin of error for the nationwide survey is +/-3%. The poll received financial support from the United States Agency for International Development, Sweden, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Foreign Ministry of Canada.