All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
One third of Ukrainians are in favor of returning the death penalty and are not against legalization of euthanasia
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
A third of Ukrainians are in favor of returning the death penalty and are not against the legalization of euthanasia.
This was announced by the Director of the Communications Department of the Gorshenin Institute, Vladimir Zastava, at a press conference today, presenting the results of a telephone survey entitled “Morality of Ukrainian Society: Attitudes to Death.”
In particular, more than a third of Ukrainians (38.4%) are in favor of reinstating the death penalty for serious crimes against the person. About a quarter (25.7%) consider this measure of punishment acceptable in the case of rape of minors, and every sixth one - in the case of production and distribution of drugs (14.9%), bribery on an especially large scale by government officials (14.3%). 6.7% believe that the death penalty should be applied for organizing a terrorist act, 5.6% for theft of state property on an especially large scale - 4.2% for organizing a military coup - 3.8% for organizing an attempt on the life of the head of state - 3.2% for treason. 2.9% of respondents are in favor of returning the death penalty for other crimes, and 2.6% found it difficult to answer this question. At the same time, 30.8% of Ukrainian citizens are against the reinstatement of the death penalty.
More than a third of respondents (37.1%) are categorically against the legalization of euthanasia in Ukraine. At the same time, almost the same number of respondents (36.8%) consider euthanasia acceptable in the case of an incurable disease that causes suffering to the patient. Every sixth Ukrainian (15.7%) believes that suicide with medical assistance can happen at the request of any person without explaining the reasons for such a decision, and 8.2% admit that euthanasia can be resorted to if a person has been in a coma for a long time, and 2.5% - in old age, after a certain age. 5.3% of respondents found it difficult to answer this question.
Gorshenin Institute expert Natalia KLAUNIG noted that in 2007 the number of people who were categorically against euthanasia was much higher – 57%.
V. Zastava, commenting on the answers to the first two questions, concluded that Ukrainian society admits that death can be a punishment, but does not consider death as a deliverance.
The majority of Ukrainian citizens (59.7%) condemn suicides. About a quarter of respondents (26.1%) do not condemn, and 14.2% found it difficult to answer this question.
Almost half of Ukrainians (45.8%) sometimes think about death. At the same time, every sixth respondent (15.4%) admitted that thoughts about death visit them often. More than a third of respondents (38.8%) said that they never think about it.
More than half of respondents (52.3%) believe that people usually adhere to moral standards based on their inner conviction. About a third (35.8%) believe that people adhere to moral standards in order to look good in the eyes of others. The answer “other” to this question was given by 2.4% of respondents, and 9.5% found it difficult to answer.
V. Zastava noted that, overall, only half of Ukrainians believe that moral standards should be adhered to based on inner conviction, and this figure has decreased compared to 2007.
According to N. Klauning, there is a trend today that being moral is not very fashionable, since morality does not contribute to making money.
V. Zastava also emphasized that today society is still undergoing a reassessment of values. In particular, attitudes toward sex and people with non-traditional orientation are changing.
"Figuratively speaking, the society of the Soviet Union was kind of attending a nursery group, and you know, like a child, it closed its eyes to a whole range of real and ambiguous problems, believing, for example, that sex, prostitution or non-traditional sexual orientation simply do not exist. Today, society has moved to a preparatory group, the existence of a number of problems is already recognized, but there are still quite certain taboos. What will happen in ten years - we'll see," noted V. Zastava.
The telephone survey "Morality of Ukrainian Society: Attitude to Death" was conducted by the Gorshenin Institute from October 11 to 13. A total of 1,000 respondents aged 18 and over were interviewed in all regional centers of Ukraine, the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol, according to a random sample. The quotas were the region of residence, gender and age of the respondents. The margin of error of the representativeness of the study does not exceed +/- 3.2%.