Despite that most Ukrainians have been and remain supporters of the idea of Ukraine’s independence, they are utterly dissatisfied with life in the country as hopes for economic prosperity and new life perspectives did not justify themselves, KW wrote in a 2012 special issue.

A survey by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine found that the majority of Ukrainians in 1998 (60%) believed “it was impossible to bear such a difficult state of affairs” and in 2011 the majority (53%) said “it was hard to live but it was possible to stand such a life”.

On the other hand, people have less hope for the future. In 1994, 52% of the population hoped the situation in the country would gradually change for the better. In 2011, only 39% of the people showed such optimism. Most Ukrainians define these days as the era of thieves, swindlers (48%), state-mongers (44%) and beggars (40%).

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The rates of the social and psychological health of society, which are annually measured by experts at the Institute of Sociology, show that over the last 20 years Ukrainian society remained in a state of demoralization and destabilization.