Almost 40% of Ukrainians believe that the year 2021 will be better than the previous one, the latest Gallup International survey says.
In Ukraine, the End of Year poll was conducted by Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in cooperation with the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in early December 2020.
Some 43% of respondents from 41 countries believe that the next 12 months will be better than the previous ones, 24% expect things to get worse, and 26% suggest everything will remain the same.
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At the same time, 37% of Ukrainians believe that the year 2021 will be better than the previous one.
The results also show that the optimism about 2021 does not apply to opinions about the development of global economy.
"It will sound like a blow to many businesses that consumer spending is likely to be low next year. About half (46%) think 2021 will be a year of economic hardships, while only 25% think it will be a year of economic prosperity," the report says.
According to sociologists, citizens of EU member states share such pessimism, since 63% of them believe that next year will be economically difficult.
In Ukraine, 51% of respondents believe that next year will be a year of economic difficulties.
Gallup International's End of Year Survey is an annual tradition initiated by and designed under the chairmanship of Dr. George Gallup in 1977. This year it covered 41 countries.
In Ukraine, the study used the CATI method (computer-assisted telephone interviews). The sample is representative of the adult population (over the age of 18) in Ukraine, except for the occupied Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. During the survey, 1,000 interviews were conducted.