Ukrainians consider corruption within the central government to be the primary obstacle on Ukraine's path toward joining the European Union. This answer was given by 35.6 percent of respondents. This is reported by Dengi.ua, with reference to data from a survey conducted by the "Sociopolis" research company between May 24 and May 29, 2026.
Notably, the second most frequently cited factor hindering European integration was the belief that the European Union itself is not ready to accept Ukraine quickly - an option chosen by 28.4 percent of survey participants. Respondents much less frequently blamed the ongoing war and its related restrictions (13.6%), the unsatisfactory performance of the government and parliament (5.2%), the insufficient independence of the judicial system and law enforcement agencies (4.1%), or the influence of specific interest groups obstructing reforms.
Thus, the majority of citizens attribute the main difficulties on the road to EU membership primarily to internal public administration issues, the level of corruption, and the position of European partners regarding the further enlargement of the Union.
The survey also reveals that public assessment of the Ukrainian authorities' efforts to prepare the country for EU membership remains predominantly critical. More than half of the respondents (55%) believe that state authorities are not doing enough of the necessary "homework" to accelerate European integration. Out of this group, 31% stated that the authorities are generally failing in this task, while another 24% are convinced that the required steps are not being taken at all.
The opposite point of view is held by 38.9% of respondents. Within this group, only 5.8% are confident that the authorities are fully fulfilling all the necessary conditions for EU accession, while 33.1% believe that work in this direction is generally underway. Another 6.2% of respondents could not give a definitive assessment.
In addition, the survey results indicate that support for European integration among Ukrainians is combined with a demanding attitude toward internal transformations. For many citizens, the prospects of joining the European Union depend not only on decisions made in Brussels, but also on the effectiveness of the fight against corruption, the performance of state institutions, and the successful implementation of domestic reforms.
