Ukrainians name corruption as the main barrier to EU membership

Most Ukrainians consider corruption in government bodies and skepticism within the European Union itself to be the main obstacles to the country’s accession to the EU. These are the results of a survey conducted by the sociological service “Sociopolis” in late May 2026 among 1,002 respondents.

The largest share of those surveyed — 35.6% — identified corruption in central government bodies as the primary barrier to European integration. Respondents link the slow progress to non-transparent decision-making and weak oversight of power within the state system.

The second most common response was an external factor: 28.4% believe that the European Union itself is in no hurry to accept Ukraine. According to the sociologists, this factor creates a sense of uncertainty in society regarding the pace of future accession.

The remaining reasons were cited by respondents considerably less often. The war and related restrictions were named by 13.6% of those surveyed. Insufficient quality of work by the government and parliament — 5.2%. Weak independence of the courts and law enforcement agencies — 4.1%. Resistance to reforms on the part of influential groups — 3.3%.

Sociologists note that public perception is dominated by the view that internal problems are the key barrier on the path to the EU, though some citizens also place responsibility on external factors. The results carry a standard statistical margin of error and reflect general trends in public opinion.