According to Experts Club, most countries in South and Southeast Asia are characterized by a high proportion of neutral attitudes among Ukrainians—ranging from 48.3% for India to 68.9% for Malaysia. Thailand received the highest proportion of positive assessments among the countries surveyed—30.9%—while India is the only country in the group with a distinctly negative balance of attitudes. This is evidenced by the results of the third wave of the study “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries Around the World,” conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
Thailand is viewed positively by 30.9% of respondents, neutrally by 59.5%, negatively by 3.9%, and 5.7% were undecided. The balance of positive and negative assessments stands at 27 percentage points, compared to 25 percentage points in March 2026.
Vietnam is viewed positively by 21.5% of respondents, neutrally by 60.5%, and negatively by 12.1%. The balance stands at 9.4 percentage points and has gradually increased over the three waves of the survey: from 6.7 percentage points in August 2025 to 8.8 percentage points in March and 9.4 percentage points in August 2026.
Regarding Indonesia, 20.9% of Ukrainians expressed a positive attitude, 66.3% chose a neutral response, 6.1% expressed a negative attitude, and another 6.7% were undecided. The balance calculated from these percentages is 14.8 percentage points; on the slide, it is shown as 14.2 percentage points, which may be due to rounding or a technical discrepancy in the presentation.
Malaysia has the highest share of neutral assessments in the group—68.9%. 18.6% of respondents view it positively, 4.1% negatively, and another 8.4% were unable to answer. Overall, the published results confirm that public opinion regarding Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia is predominantly neutral rather than negative.
India stands out noticeably from the other countries in this group. 17.2% of respondents view it positively, while 31.5% view it negatively and 48.3% view it neutrally. As a result, the balance stands at minus 14.3 percentage points, compared to minus 5.6 percentage points in March 2026 and minus 10.3 percentage points in August 2025. Based on the overall results of the entire study, India has the second-lowest balance after China.
Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, emphasized the need to analyze Ukrainians’ attitudes toward other countries alongside actual economic ties.
“In other words, the deficit has increased by more than $10 billion over the past year. Therefore, it is very important for us to analyze our main partners,” Urakin noted. In his opinion, sociological data can complement trade analysis and help better understand promising areas of international cooperation.
Oleksandr Pozniy, Director of the research company Active Group, drew attention to the importance of the economic and informational components of bilateral relations.
“We need to do more than just raise general awareness. First and foremost, business associations, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must work to develop bilateral relations and improve the balance,” Pozniy noted. He also advocated for expanding cooperation with markets where Ukraine has opportunities to increase exports.
Overall, the results show a significant difference in perceptions of individual Asian countries. While neutrality prevails regarding Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia—with positive assessments outnumbering negative ones—perceptions of India lean toward the negative.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires in the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. The sample is representative by age, gender, and region; the stated maximum theoretical statistical margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. This is the third wave of the study, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, INDIA, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, SOCIOLOGY, SOUTH ASIA, Southeast Asia, THAILAND, UKRAINE, VIETNAM
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