Poll: Corruption in government worries Ukrainians more than missile strikes. 72% believe Zelensky is personally responsible for it

Author:
Svitlana Kravchenko
Date:

Most Ukrainians today are most concerned about corruption in government, more than the massive shelling by Russia.

This is evidenced by the results of a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

When asked: "What worries you most at the moment?", 50% of respondents named corruption, and 40% named massive missile and drone strikes.

Among other problems, Ukrainians mentioned unprofessionalism and incompetence of the authorities (30%), low salaries and social benefits (28%), the activities of TRC (24%), rising prices (23%), the situation at the front (21%), war fatigue and lack of unity (10%).

At the same time, 72% of respondents believe that the level of corruption in Ukraine has increased since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Only 6% believe that it has decreased, and 17% believe that it has remained at the same level.

KIIS also asked whether President Volodymyr Zelensky bears personal responsibility for the corrupt actions of people in his entourage. 72% answered "yes", 25% said “no”, and 3% abstained from answering.

At the same time, KIIS warns that by "personal responsibility", respondents most likely mean political responsibility, not the presidentʼs personal involvement in corruption.

  • The survey was conducted between September 12 and 21, 2026, using telephone interviews among adult Ukrainians living in government-controlled territory. A total of 1 002 respondents participated.

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