Sociologists release first ratings of Ukrainian presidential candidates ahead of run-off

Among those who intend to vote in the run-off, 61% are going to support Zelensky, 24% will vote for Poroshenko, and 15% were undecided.

Among those who intend to vote in the run-off and have already decided on their choice, 71% said they would back Zelensky and 29% said they would support Poroshenko.

According to sociologists, Zelensky is ahead of his opponent in all age categories. He is also the leader among residents of the eastern, southern and central regions of Ukraine. At the same time, the positions of both candidates are almost equal in the western part of the country.

"Some 61% of those polled believe that the next president of Ukraine will be Zelensky and 17% - Poroshenko. Another 22% could now answer. Among the electoral groups of candidates who gained significant results in the first round, the relative majority is convinced that the future head of state will be Zelensky. Half of the supporters of Poroshenko are convinced of the victory of their favorite, while a quarter of them believe that Zelensky will win," reads a report posted on the group's website.

It also notes that the analysis of the dynamics of the motives for voting for candidates in the second round of the presidential election indicates an increase in the protest vote among supporters of both candidates.

Thus, 75% of voters who are ready to support Poroshenko in the second round vote rather for him, while 22% vote rather against Zelensky (the percentage was 12% in February). At the same time, 57% of voters who are ready to support Zelensky in the second round vote rather for him, while 41% vote rather against Poroshenko (33% in February).

In addition, according to sociologists, 31% of respondents believe that when people choose Poroshenko, they vote for his personality, and 26% thus vote against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The latter position is more typical for voters in the western part of Ukraine. Among Poroshenko's voters, almost 40% vote not so much for Poroshenko but against Putin.

At the same time, 20% of respondents believe that when people choose Zelensky, they vote for his personality, and 66% thus protest against the current situation in the country (50% in February). This, by the way, is also recognized by Poroshenko's voters.

The report also notes that 82% of respondents said they did not personally face bribery during the current presidential election campaign. On the other hand, 17% said they had the following experience: 8% personally and 9% heard about it from relatives and friends.

At the same time, 39% of those polled said that they expect significant vote rigging in the second round of the presidential election on April 21, 2019. Some 37% believe that falsifications will not be significant, and only 14% do not expect any falsification of the election results at all. The greatest number of those who expect significant falsifications is among residents of the southern and eastern regions of the country.

The survey was conducted among 3,000 Ukrainian citizens aged over 18 years through face-to-face interviews. The poll's margin of error does not exceed 1.8%. The poll was conducted on April 5-10, 2019.

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