Political Culture in Ukraine

Abstract

The "Euromaidan" protests in Ukraine (2013-2014) were motivated by people's great expectations of profound change through implementation of reforms and genuine democratisation of the society. Realisation of these expectations depends on many factors, including the pattern of political culture, which reflects people s readiness to actively contribute to the establishment of a new democratic regime in their country. Analysis of citizens' political orientations over the past two decades shows that only a small part of the population can be called strong democrats, whereas the majority of people avoids active political participation and holds a rather output-oriented position, which may facilitate persistence of an authoritarian political regime. On the other hand, a new social movement represented by recently emerged numerous volunteer organisations and initiatives indicates a substantial positive change in people's political orientations.