Almost a half of Ukrainians do not support the pension reform, Deputy Director of the Center for Economic Strategy, Maria Repko, announced at a round table conference at Gorshenin Institute.
Repko said that the findings of a recent representative poll commissioned by CES and conducted jointly with the GfK pollster firm were "quite indicative".
"Firstly, the level of support. The sentiments divided roughly by half. 49% do not support, 46% were in favour, someone found it difficult to answer – and that's only among those who are aware of the reform. 22% of respondents said they never heard about the reform," the expert said.
In response, the Minister of Social Policy Andriy Reva suggested that the population simply does not understand the essence of the reform.
"There are smart people like you but they are a minority in our society, I have to admit. We all went to school and know that standouts are always a minority," he said.
In his opinion, people will understand the benefits of reform when pensions will rise.
The minister reminded a heroine in a Soviet film who said "Do not teach me how to live, just help financially."
"Gauge the level of support of the pension reform in a month and a half. What will the citizens of Ukraine say when the dynamics change?" he advised.