60% of Ukrainians do not trust the Supreme Court and prioritise judicial system renewal — survey

The majority of Ukrainians surveyed, 60%, do not trust the Supreme Court. Trust in the Supreme Court is shared by only 22% of respondents. Distrust towards the Supreme Court is consistent regardless of the respondent’s region or financial status. This data comes from a survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in collaboration with the Razumkov Center’s sociological service from December 8 to 15, 2023, commissioned by the DEJURE Foundation.

The primary factors contributing to distrust in the judiciary include widespread corruption among judges, impunity, a system of mutual protection within the judiciary (45%), lack of judicial integrity (42%), and judges’ dependence on politicians and oligarchs (41%).

For more than 60% of respondents, the most important priorities in judicial reform are staff renewal and vetting of judges’ declarations, followed by decisions on their continuation in office. The least prioritised issues for respondents were the urgent filling of all judicial vacancies (11%) and increasing judges’ salaries and benefits (2%).

41% of Ukrainians believe that international experts should have the greatest influence on the selection of judges. Nearly a quarter (24%) prefer this role to be held by Ukrainian civil society representatives. The least trust is placed in Ukrainian judges and judicial governance bodies to handle this function.

The survey was conducted with financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the DEJURE Foundation and does not reflect the position of NED.