The fight against corruption tops the list of expectations from the government: what Ukrainians are demanding
29 April 14:07
The vast majority of Ukrainians (90.5%) consider corruption to be one of Ukraine’s main problems, and 34.4% of respondents believe that a genuine fight against corruption is their main expectation of the government, according to the results of the sociological survey “Corruption in Ukraine: Threat or Opportunity?”, conducted by Think Ukraine and presented at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday, April 29, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
It is noted that, in the expectations of Ukrainians, the fight against corruption is more important than economic development, the signing of a peace agreement, or the return of lost territories. Other expectations of the government include the return of prisoners of war (33.9%), the development of the military-industrial complex (31.9%), and economic development (28.5%).
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Ukrainians view corruption among top officials as the greatest threat to society—50.7%. This is followed by drug trafficking (33.1%), corruption in the military (31.7%), and murders (27.5%).
However, despite the perception of pervasive corruption, 59.4% of Ukrainians have not encountered its manifestations since February 24, 2022.
Among the areas where citizens have personally encountered corruption, the healthcare system leads the list (36.7%). Next are territorial recruitment and social support centers (30.2%), local authorities (27.8%), and the police (25.2%). Only 9.8% of citizens have personally encountered corruption in central government bodies, while top officials and national-level politicians are perceived as the most corrupt—30.0% of respondents hold this view. A similar discrepancy between actual experience (12.8%) and perceptions of corruption (22.0%) is also present in the judicial sphere.
It is noted that one-third of respondents (32.3%) would not report instances of corruption in the organization where they work. Another 13.2% are unwilling to answer this question. 47.3% are certain that the guilty parties will not be punished, 33.7% fear retaliation or dismissal, and 24.9% point to the difficulty of proving the facts.
At the top of the list of measures is the inevitability of punishment (43.0%). Next are public oversight of officials (28.4%) and changes to the legislative framework (27.7%). Only 11.3% of citizens support economic restrictions on corrupt activities.
Attitudes toward mandatory nationwide income declaration for all citizens are mixed: 49.1% are “in favor,” 40.4% are “against,” even under the condition of an amnesty for the first declaration.
Among the situations in which respondents cited bribes as justifiable: receiving medical treatment or surgery without waiting in line (28.4%), avoiding imprisonment for a crime one did not commit (14.1%), and expediting the resolution of an issue (11.2%).
Ukrainians identified the main source of corruption as the unlawful activities of officials at all levels—31.4% of respondents. This is followed by the Ukrainian mindset (22.1%) and the unlawful activities of politicians (19.0%). An overwhelming majority (85.1%) of Ukrainians are no longer willing to vote for politicians they consider effective if it turns out they are involved in corruption schemes.
The survey was conducted from April 4 to 14, 2026, throughout Ukraine, excluding temporarily occupied territories. A total of 1,202 respondents were interviewed. Method: telephone survey (CATI). Margin of error: 2.83%.
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