by Dmytro Khutkyy, Mikhail Doroshevich

This is a unique public opinion survey comparison: probably, for the first time there is a comparable data on perceptions of e-participation in Ukraine and Belarus.

The first finding is that the shares of skeptics is similar (differences lie within the margin of sample error):
16.6% see no impact of e-petitions in Belarus and 17% see no applied value in Ukraine;
12.2% treat e-petitions as a tool for manipulation in Belarus and 11% think the same in Ukraine.
The share of pragmatic people who envision saving costs is close too: 23.1% in Belarus and 22.3% in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, in terms of positive impact, Ukrainians are far more optimistic: for 1/4 it is the implementation of a direct democracy and an opportunity to influence priorities of authorities.

Yet, over 20% of respondents in both countries believe it is an opportunity for citizens-authorities dialogue.

Methodological note:
The Ukrainian offline survey was conducted in Sep-Oct 2017 by KIIS and is representative for adult population over 18 years old. Sample error is 2.2%. The percentages are given towards 557 respondents who were aware about the existence of e-petitions.
The Belarussian online survey was held in Jan 2018 by Baltic Internet Policy Initiative / Office for European Expertise and Communications and is representative for internet users aged 15-74 The percentages are counted of 2279 respondents knowledgeable about civic society organizations.
Despite the differences in sampling methodology, both surveys employ similar questions and response options.

Themes

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