According to the results of a joint study by Active Group and Experts Club, Ukrainians view Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania most favorably, while China and Hungary receive significantly lower ratings, despite their importance in Ukraine’s foreign trade.
“The modern international economy is not just about foreign trade figures, but also about reputation, trust, political proximity, humanitarian presence, and a sense of partnership at the societal level. It is precisely within this framework that both Ukraine’s trade ties and the work of foreign embassies in Ukraine’s information and public spheres should be evaluated,” noted Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center, at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.
Urakin also cited Ukraine’s overall foreign trade figures for 2025. According to his data, total trade turnover exceeded $125 billion, of which nearly $85 billion was accounted for by imports and about $40 billion by exports, while the trade deficit in goods amounted to approximately $44.5 billion. He noted that this indicates the continued high openness of the Ukrainian economy even amid the war, but at the same time highlights its significant dependence on foreign supplies.
As noted during the presentation, China remains Ukraine’s largest trading partner in terms of trade turnover. At the same time, it is trade with China that creates the largest trade imbalance for Ukraine, as out of $20 billion in total trade, about $19 billion is accounted for by imports, while Ukrainian exports amount to only about $1.8 billion.
“In essence, nearly 39–40% of Ukraine’s entire annual trade deficit is attributable to China. This is a classic example of asymmetric trade: Ukraine sells resources and buys goods with high added value,” Urakin emphasized.
According to him, Ukraine has a different type of relationship with Poland. Poland remains a key neighbor, a logistics hub, an important political ally, and at the same time the largest market for Ukrainian exports. Total trade with Poland exceeds $13 billion, but here too, Ukraine’s trade balance remains negative—at nearly minus $3 billion. At the same time, as noted by participants at the press conference, Poland is not merely a sales market but a bridge connecting Ukrainian producers with the European Union market.
A similar situation is observed in trade with Germany, Turkey, and the United States. According to data presented at the press conference, trade turnover with Germany amounts to about $9 billion, with Turkey—nearly $9 billion, and with the United States—nearly $6 billion, with Ukraine having a negative balance in all three cases. Urakin emphasized that the U.S. market is particularly important, as the significance of the United States for Ukraine is determined not only by trade volumes but also by the role of the United States as a security, financial, technological, and political partner.
At the same time, as noted during the presentation, the most advantageous markets for Ukraine in terms of a positive trade balance are Egypt, Moldova, the Netherlands, Spain, Lebanon, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates.
“Ukraine achieves the best results where it has a strong position in the agricultural sector and where the Ukrainian export offering is well-suited to the respective market. Future improvements in the trade balance lie in the transition to products with higher added value in those markets where Ukraine already has a presence and is proving itself to be a stable partner,” he said.
The sociological part of the study, presented at the press conference, showed that Ukrainians demonstrate the highest levels of positive attitude toward Germany—77.4%, Lithuania—75%, France—74%, the United Kingdom – 74%, Sweden – 72.5%, Japan – 71.8%, Italy – 70%, and the Czech Republic – 67%. Ratings for Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, and Turkey also remain high. At the same time, 56% of respondents view Poland positively, compared to 14.7% negative ratings, and 55% view Turkey positively, compared to 5.6% negative ratings.
China, however, presents a different picture: 23% of respondents expressed a positive attitude toward it, while 42% expressed a negative one. Assessments of Hungary were even more critical: only 18.6% held a positive view, compared to 52% who held a negative one. 44.1% of respondents view the United States positively, while 24.7% view it negatively.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, emphasized that this is the second study in the series, allowing for tracking the dynamics of public perceptions. According to him, this is not only about the emotional perception of other countries but also about a factor increasingly linked to foreign economic relations, security, and the image of a partner country within Ukrainian society.
“The ratings of some countries have deteriorated slightly compared to the previous survey. In the case of the United States, this could have been influenced by changes in American policy following the arrival of the new president and the corresponding media coverage,” Pozniy noted.
The participants in the press conference paid particular attention to cases where a country’s economic importance does not align with how it is perceived emotionally in Ukraine. Responding to questions from the audience, Pozniy cited China as an example—a country that is viewed quite negatively but remains Ukraine’s largest trading partner. Similarly, he noted, there are cases where a country, such as Iraq, has a positive trade balance with Ukraine, yet attitudes toward it remain reserved or negative.
Olga Bezrukova, Ph.D. in Sociology and head of the Kyiv branch of the Sociological Association of Ukraine, emphasized that public opinion during wartime is particularly sensitive to external factors, and therefore such measurements must be considered within a specific temporal context. “Attitudes toward a country should be viewed as attitudes toward the country as a whole, and they are shaped by Ukrainians’ perception of that country as a strategic partner in achieving peace in Ukraine. The second component is attitudes toward its representatives and citizens, which are based either on personal experience or on the experiences of friends, colleagues, and family members,” she explained.
According to Bezrukova, social media, the political context, cultural stereotypes, and everyday perceptions acquired through socialization play an important role in shaping these assessments. This, in particular, may explain the high proportion of neutral responses regarding certain countries about which Ukrainians have insufficient personal experience or information in the public sphere. She also drew attention to the influence of stereotypes on attitudes toward some countries in the Muslim world, even though, from an economic standpoint, some of them are important partners for Ukraine.
Maksym Urakin noted that foreign missions should communicate with Ukrainian society not in abstract diplomatic language, but in the language of tangible benefits—through jobs, investments, humanitarian projects, educational programs, and logistical opportunities. He also called on diplomatic missions to work more actively not only in Kyiv but also in the regions, and to link their countries’ images not only to political support for Ukraine but also to tangible participation in reconstruction, energy, industry, agricultural processing, healthcare, and education.
“If society sees a massive flow of imports coming into the country but does not see a corresponding flow of investment, technology, or localized production, a sense of imbalance arises. And this directly affects the emotional perception of the partner. That is why countries with a large trade surplus with Ukraine should pay particular attention to the reputational aspect of their presence in the Ukrainian market,” added Urakin
In summary, the participants of the press conference emphasized that the study’s findings could be useful for businesses, government institutions, and Ukraine’s international partners alike. In their view, public opinion can influence economic policy, consumer behavior, and even the perception of goods and services from various countries, and thus becomes a crucial element of today’s foreign economic reality. Oleksandr Pozniy noted that the world is not “black and white” for Ukrainians, and the large proportion of neutral assessments regarding a number of countries indicates caution and a desire for balanced judgment rather than indifference.
The survey was conducted in March 2026; sociologists analyzed Ukrainians’ attitudes toward 50 countries that are among Ukraine’s largest trading partners. The study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire on an online panel; 800 respondents participated, and the stated margin of error does not exceed 3.5%.
You can view the full presentation of the study by clicking the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, ECONOMICS, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN, БЕЗРУКОВА
According to the results of a survey conducted by the research company Active Group and the Experts Club think tank, 34.1% of respondents described a healthy lifestyle as “very important,” 53.1% as “somewhat important,” 10.8% — “somewhat unimportant,” and 2.1% — “not important at all.” The data was presented at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine press center.
“The high value placed on a healthy lifestyle is an opportunity for the system to shift its focus toward prevention and early diagnosis,” said Maksym Urakin.
“People are ready to change their habits, but they need accessible tools—consultations, screenings, and clear recommendations,” added Oleksandr Pozniy.
The study was conducted on the SunFlowerSociology online panel using a representative sample in February 2026. The survey involved 1,000 respondents from a representative sample across all regions of Ukraine, excluding temporarily occupied territories.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, Healthy Lifestyle, Pozniy, URAKIN
According to the results of a survey conducted by the research company Active Group and the analytical center Experts Club in early February, 52.3% of respondents said that the prices of medicines they buy regularly have increased significantly, 43.9% said they have increased slightly, 3.6% said they have not changed, and 0.2% said they have decreased.
“The widespread perception of rising prices is a factor that directly affects adherence to treatment,” said Experts Club founder Maksim Urakin.
“Rising prices are prompting some patients to delay purchases and self-medicate, which increases the risk of complications,” said Active Group CEO and co-founder Alexander Pozniy.
The survey was conducted on the SunFlowerSociology online panel using a representative sample on February 11-12, 2026. The survey involved 1,000 respondents from a representative sample in all regions of Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories.
More than 11% of Ukrainians never visit a doctor, while almost 10% do so more than 10 times a year.
According to the results of a survey conducted by the research company Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center in early February, 41.3% visit doctors 1-2 times a year, 27.2% – 3-5 times, and 10.4% – 6-10 times.
“The group of people who do not visit doctors at all requires a separate study of the reasons, which may include financial barriers, mistrust, and psychological burnout,” said Alexander Pozniy, director and co-founder of the research company Active Group.
He drew attention to the fact that most respondents visit a doctor once or twice a year, but noted that there may be different reasons for this.
“We need to ask the question, why is this so: because our people are so healthy, or because people cannot go to the doctor or do not trust doctors. But this is a question for the medical professionals themselves,” he said.
Pozniy also noted that according to the survey results, “family doctors are accessible to the majority of the population, especially in cities,” while access to specialists, especially for rural populations and populations in small or remote communities, raises questions “primarily due to the lack of the necessary number of specialists.”
For his part, Grigory Soloninka, a member of the board of the public organization “Kyiv Regional Organization of the All-Ukrainian Medical Society” (VUO), professor of the Department of Internal and Occupational Diseases at the Kyiv Medical University, noted that “we need to return to the issue of rural medicine and, perhaps, make certain changes so that the rural population does not receive fewer services than the urban population.”
“If we take a remote village, then, perhaps, there is a problem with getting to a narrow specialist and receiving specialized medical care,” he said.
For his part, Experts Club founder Maxim Urakin noted that “medicine is part of the country’s economic stability, and when medical expenses erode family budgets, it affects consumption, savings, and people’s ability to work and recover.”
“In Ukraine, almost a quarter of the population spends up to 20% of their family budget on medicine, and one in five spends more than 20%. If we translate this into the language of economic financial analysis, then from the point of view of international methodology, the fact that a person spends more than 10% of their budget is catastrophic. In other words, we see a sign of a serious financial burden,” he said.
The study was conducted on the SunFlowerSociology online panel on a representative sample on February 11-12, 2026. The survey involved 1,000 respondents from a representative sample in all regions of Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SOLONINKA, SURVEY, URAKIN, Єременко
According to a survey conducted by research company Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center in early February, 28.4% of Ukrainians prefer Ukrainian medicines.
According to Alexander Pozniy, CEO and co-founder of Active Group, 33.4% of respondents more often choose imported medicines, while for 38.2% of respondents, the country of origin of the drug is irrelevant.
“For manufacturers, this means that competition is based on reputation, proven effectiveness, and stability of supply, and Ukrainian brands can strengthen their position through quality and clear communication,” said Alexander Pozniy, CEO and co-founder of Active Group.
According to Experts Club founder Maxim Urakin, “the fact that almost a third of consumers choose domestic drugs shows the importance of accessibility and trust in quality in the domestic market.”
The study was conducted on the SunFlowerSociology online panel on a representative sample on February 11-12, 2026. The survey involved 1,000 respondents from a representative sample in all regions of Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SOLONINKA, SURVEY, URAKIN
According to the results of a survey conducted by the research company Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center in early February and presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center, 31.4% of respondents called electronic prescriptions “very convenient,” 44.1% called them “rather convenient,” 18.7% called them “rather inconvenient,” and 5.9% called them “very inconvenient.”
“Digital tools gain support when they save time and really simplify access to medicines,” said Experts Club founder Maxim Urakin.
“Negative attitudes among some users are usually associated with practical failures and varying levels of digital literacy, and this needs to be taken into account when fine-tuning the service,” said Alexander Pozniy, CEO and co-founder of Active Group.
The study was conducted on the SunFlowerSociology online panel using a representative sample on February 11-12, 2026. The survey involved 1,000 respondents from a representative sample in all regions of Ukraine, except for the temporarily occupied territories.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, Poznyi, SOCIOLOGY, SOLONINKA, SURVEY, URAKIN, Єременко
