Institute of Sociology NASU

SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING CITIZENS’ ATTITUDES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN UKRAINE

stmm. 2021 (2): 105-115

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2021.02.105

OLGA BUROVA, Candidate of Sciences in Sociology, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Sociopolitical Processes, Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv (12, Shovkovychna Street, Kyiv, 01021)

burova_olga@yahoo.com

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4149-8859

The paper focuses on the main factors forming public attitudes towards local authorities in Ukraine. The way that a person thinks and feels about a particular politician, an elected official or a local administration largely determines his/her voting behavior ― hence the relevance of the research topic. Local governments are responsible for delivering a wide range of services to citizens; therefore, it makes sense to analyze the citizens’ satisfaction with the quality of (and access to) certain services and compare these figures with the overall attitude to local authorities (which can correspond to a respondent’s evaluation of the authorities’ work in general). The findings of a recent (September–October 2020) nationwide survey titled “Ukrainian society: Monitoring social changes” will constitute an empirical basis for the analysis. The survey, which is annually conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, involves measuring respondents’ satisfaction with a number of items related to the performance of local governments (with regard to the respondent’s place of residence). These items include utility service quality, road conditions, the availability of playgrounds and sports facilities, the work of a local police department, the availability and quality of services provided by preschools and schools, the quality of healthcare services, etc., as well the ability of local authorities to respond to the demands of ordinary citizens. The survey participants are also asked to evaluate the work of a local administration or a city/town mayor. The data of “Ukrainian society” for the year 2020 show that the majority of this country’s population felt totally or partially dissatisfied with local public services (except for those offered by preschools and schools), and they did not consider local governments responsive to people’s demands either. Besides, many respondents gave a negative evaluation to the overall work of local administrations. Drawing upon these data, the author concludes that there is a link between a person’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the quality of local public services and his/her positive or negative attitude towards the local authorities. It is suggested that the obtained results be taken into account when analyzing other aspects concerning local governments (e. g. a respondent’s trust in governmental institutions), especially if the respondent is not inclined to express his/her opinion openly. Special attention is also given to resident surveys as a tool for improving the well-being and quality of life for citizens and communities.

Full article: eng

Keywords: society, power, reforms, quality of life, mayor, municipal authorities, united territorial communities, local governments, decentralization

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Received 04.03.2021