KIIS: Ukrainians’ trust in anti-corruption policy increases after a decline in 2024

New data indicates a moderate increase in trust in anti-corruption policies. Society is gradually regaining optimism after the decline in 2024.

This is reported by a survey conducted by KIIS.

As of early October 2025, 56% of Ukrainians believe that the government is genuinely trying to combat corruption. At the same time, 40% of respondents are convinced that Ukraine remains hopelessly corrupt.

Compared to 2024, these figures have improved: back then, pessimists accounted for 47%, while optimists were only 48%. Although the level of trust has not yet returned to the 2023 figures (59%), the trend toward renewed optimism is noticeable.

Sociologists note that attitudes toward corruption are linked to Ukrainians’ willingness to make concessions in the war. Among those who consider Ukraine hopelessly corrupt, 34% are ready to officially recognize part of the territories as belonging to Russia, while among optimists, this figure is only 22%.

Another 25% of the pessimist group are open to transferring part of the currently controlled territories to Russia (compared to 15% among those who see efforts to fight corruption). At the same time, the majority of critically minded Ukrainians still oppose the harshest conditions—transferring or officially recognizing territories.

Executive Director of KIIS Anton Hrushetskyi explained that the narrative of "total corruption" directly affects societal resilience.

"As our results show, the narrative of a hopelessly corrupt Ukraine is associated with a higher proportion of those willing to accept any conditions to end the war. The spearhead of information warfare is precisely the enemy’s dissemination of perceptions about widespread draft evasion and total corruption," Hrushetskyi noted.

He emphasized that fighting corruption is a shared responsibility of the state and its citizens. "The long-term development of institutions and a strategy to reduce corruption is a matter for the entire society—from officials to ordinary citizens," the sociologist concluded.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted its own nationwide public opinion survey from September 19 to October 5, 2025, among 1,008 respondents.