Certain sociological services actively use manipulations regarding the possible status of the occupied part of Donbass in their polls, which are being held on the eve of special elections to the Verkhovna Rada. This is written by head of the Institute for Social Research and Political Analysis, associated professor of the Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University (now based in Vinnytsia) Volodymyr Kipen on Facebook.
He notes the manipulative techniques used in the sociological survey conducted by the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research named after Yaremenko, Social Monitoring center and Rating group from June 13 to 21.
In particular, Kipen focuses on two issues presented in the given survey.
"There is a question with three choices: "Which solution to the problem of the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts do you support?" And option (1) - "Providing these territories with a special status, which provides for autonomy within Ukraine". In fact, there are two meaningful positions in this option - special status for the uncontrolled territories and autonomy within Ukraine. A student-political scientist will tell you that these are different administrative-political statuses and special status for a territory is not at all synonymous with its autonomy in the state. A student-sociologist will pay attention to a mistake in the wording, which all the textbooks in applied sociology teach to prevent - including of two different matters in one question. The question in this case will be manipulative", - Kipen writes.
In his opinion, there is also a political aspect besides the political and sociological analysis.
"Let us recall that one party insists in defining special status of the territories of the so-called LDNR as autonomies in the body of Ukraine within the framework of the Minsk agreements - Russia. And no one else. This is on the first question and "who benefits from it", - Kipen stressed.
He also notes another manipulation in the question, which sounds like: "Would you support the decision to grant autonomy within Ukraine to the uncontrolled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts for the cessation of hostilities and peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbass?".
"About the autonomy within Ukraine of the so-called LDNR over again. Almost a sensation - 49.5% of the respondents confidently or uncertainly support the autonomy of these products of the Russian World as part of Ukraine. Not a sensation - but MANIPULATION again. The issue has motivation for the respondent to "support" the proposed solution, which is called the answer's "hint". After all, the first - autonomy for the LDNR – is presented as if for the second time, the main thing is to stop the war and achieve the peace. Dishonest sociologists manipulate the attitudes of the population of Ukraine, exhausted by the five-year war and losses. They allegedly "prompt" the way out in such a way. A third of the respondents did not swallow the bait - 30.7% would not support such a decision. But the necessary figure has been received and is being launched into the mass consciousness of the country's citizens", - Kipen comments.
As a result, according to him, such data are being spread in the information space.
"I will recall that a manipulative and dangerous for the Ukrainian state Kremlin's idea of including the pseudo-formations created and controlled by Russia into Ukraine is being accelerated. This is the information war against Ukraine as a component of hybrid aggression. This is how Ukraine's capitulation is being prepared. Unfortunately, in this case, sociologists appeared to be on the enemy's side. Remembering the history of work of certain sociological centers since the presidential election of 2004 and Orange Revolution on the service of Donetsk members of the Party of Regions and Medvedchuk's projects, I will conclude that the ethical code of the sociologist for them has long been replaced by the thesis "money has no smell", - Kipen concluded.