Ukrainians are generally well-informed about the work of their local mayors, councils, and community leaders (starostas), and they tend to support their activities. At the same time, most people know little about the roles of district and regional councils or the heads of military administrations, or they are dissatisfied with their work.
These are the findings of the 8th nationwide sociological survey on multilevel governance in Ukraine.
As previously reported, a key conclusion of the study is that the decentralisation reform—aimed at strengthening local self-government and territorial organisation of power—should continue. In 2024, 77% of respondents supported this idea (compared to 76.5% in 2022), calling for more powers and resources to be transferred to local communities.
Regarding the public’s perception of local authorities, the results show that positive assessments of local government bodies and officials significantly outweigh negative ones.
Even though more than four years have passed since the last local elections, 40% of respondents rate the performance of their city, settlement, or village mayor positively, compared to 23% negatively. Similarly, 34% are satisfied with the work of their local council (22% dissatisfied), and 55% gave favorable ratings to their community leader/starosta (20% unfavorable).
In contrast, only 28% positively assessed the work of oblast councils, 25% of drayon councils, and 25% of heads of military administrations. In 17% of cases, these authorities received negative feedback. However, a large proportion of respondents—56% to 59%—either could not provide an opinion or were entirely unfamiliar with the work of these bodies.
This relatively low level of public awareness about oblast and rayon authorities is typical for a decentralised governance system, where most decisions are made at the community level—closest to the citizens. The findings confirm that Ukraine’s local self-government operates in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.
“The survey showed fairly strong support for the local authorities closest to local community members, highlighting the high expectations and hope that residents have for local self-government. To meet this trust, public officials at local level must maintain an ongoing dialogue with the community, listen to people, and constantly improve their professional skills,” Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine Mr Maciej Janczak noted. “Currently, the Council of Europe is assisting with the preparation for the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Service in Local Self-Government Bodies” adopted in 2023. This law will come into effect once martial law ends and is expected to improve the quality and prestige of service in local government. It should also attract more qualified and motivated individuals to work in local authorities. We are currently working with the Government of Ukraine to improve the system of professional training for local authorities employees, as well as to develop by-laws and guidelines to help local authorities effectively implement the law’s provisions in practice,” Mr Janczak added.
The survey was commissioned by the Council of Europe within the Programme “Strengthening good democratic governance and resilience in Ukraine” in cooperation with the Specialised Parliamentary Committee on Local Self-Government. It was conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 9 September – 19 October 2024.
The Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine” was implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026.
