The question is open-ended: respondents answer freely and their answers are then coded into 11 thematic categories plus “other” and “don't know”. A person may name several problems, so totals exceed 100%. The question is put only to those who view the country's direction negatively — roughly 500 to 700 people each month.
What worries people most about the country's direction
Among those who think things are going in the wrong direction; several reasons could be named
- War
- Corruption
- Authorities
- Economy
Show data as a table
| Month | War | Corruption | Authorities | Economy | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr | 27% | 23% | 13% | 11% | 616 |
| May | 28% | 33% | 15% | 17% | 616 |
| Jun | 37% | 21% | 13% | 16% | 516 |
| Jul | 32% | 24% | 19% | 18% | 604 |
| Aug | 32% | 34% | 21% | 14% | 676 |
| Sep | 33% | 32% | 18% | 18% | 697 |
The war is consistently one of the two most frequently cited reasons, mentioned by 27% to 37% of this group. Mentions of corruption fluctuate far more, between 21% and 34%. In May, corruption was cited even more often than the war (33% vs 28%), and in August and September about as often. The August increase, from 24% to 34%, is statistically significant; in September the figure held at 32%.
Mobilisation, by contrast, is being mentioned less often: 14% in July, 8% in September. The economy was cited more often in September (19% vs 14% in August). After correcting for multiple comparisons this is only a signal, but it is consistent with the deterioration in economic sentiment we recorded the same month.
How to read these data
The group asked this question changes each month along with the share of negative assessments: 36% of the sample in June, 48% in September. Shifts in the structure of concerns may therefore reflect not only changing views but also who has joined the dissatisfied. Individual monthly movements are best read alongside the overall trend.