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Poll: Majority of Ukrainians optimistic about progress in fight against corruption

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Poll: Majority of Ukrainians optimistic about progress in fight against corruption
A view of Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 5, 2019. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A majority of Ukrainians said there are "positive developments" in the fight against corruption, marking a significant increase from before Russia's full-scale invasion, a poll released on Oct. 25 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) found.

In total, 59% of respondents expressed optimism about the fight against corruption, representing a majority in all regions surveyed besides the east of Ukraine, where 45% answered affirmatively, and 6% said it was difficult to tell.

There was still a sizable minority (36%) of respondents who were pessimistic about Ukraine's fight against corruption, but the latest survey represented a striking change from previous polls.

A previous survey conducted in the winter of 2022-2023 found that 50% of respondents said Ukraine was fighting corruption "rather effectively", compared to only 25% in 2018.

Another KIIS survey released in 2015, after the EuroMaidan Revolution, illustrates the significant shift in public opinion.

Less than 13% of respondents believed that the presidential administration was "willing to overcome corruption." In regards to the Verkhovna Rada, the results were even lower, at 6%.

Opinion: Are Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts at a standstill?
“Ukraine is the second-most corrupt country in Europe.” “The situation with bribery has been at a standstill.” “Corruption reform doesn’t work in Ukraine.” These statements have been repeated at various international forums, by foreign officials, and by the media. But how much truth is there to t…
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Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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