Ukrainians have the most positive attitude toward Germany, the UK, Norway, and France, while Hungary, China, Iraq, and Serbia are among the countries with the worst ratings. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center at the end of August.
“We conducted a representative survey of 800 respondents at the end of August, taking into account gender, age, and region of residence. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%. This is not the first study of this type, but this time we selected 50 countries based on economic criteria – we asked about the countries with which Ukraine trades the most,” said sociologist and founder of Active Group Andriy Yeremenko at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday.
According to him, the study showed that public opinion is clearly divided between Western countries and countries outside the West.
“Ukrainians most often associate the achievement of peace with the European Union – 42% of respondents believe this. The United States is supported by almost 26% of respondents, and the United Kingdom by 13%. Other large countries, such as China, India, and Brazil, are not really considered to be contributing to a peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” Yeremenko emphasized.
Alexander Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, added that in economic terms, Ukraine’s key partners are China, Poland, Germany, Turkey, and the United States.
“At the same time, attitudes toward them vary greatly. For example, more than 76% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward Germany, while only 12% have a positive attitude toward China, and 40% have a negative attitude. The case of Hungary is even more critical, with 16% having a positive attitude and 55% having a negative attitude,” he said.
Maksym Urakyn, founder of Experts Club and deputy director general of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, drew attention to economic imbalances in Ukraine’s trade with its leading partners.
“In the first half of 2025, Ukraine’s foreign trade deficit amounted to $18.5 billion, while in 2024 it was $12.4 billion. In other words, we have a significant deterioration. In particular, the negative balance exceeded $7 billion in trade with China alone, $2 billion with Germany, over $1 billion with Poland, and about $2 billion with the United States,” the expert emphasized.
He clarified that Ukraine remains a powerful exporter of agricultural products—grains, oilseeds, metals—while imports from the EU and China consist mainly of machinery, equipment, transport, electronics, and chemicals.
“This once again confirms the need for profound structural changes in the economy and diversification of foreign economic relations. We cannot continue to depend on a narrow circle of suppliers,” Urakin noted.
At the same time, according to the expert, sociological data demonstrate a certain paradox.
“The most economically advantageous partners for us are Egypt, Spain, Moldova, Algeria, Lebanon, and Iraq. But Ukrainians’ attitude toward most of these countries is neutral or even negative. This indicates that society forms its assessments not on the basis of economic benefits, but mainly on the basis of political statements or events,” he added.
Urakin concluded that this discrepancy between the economy and public opinion could have long-term consequences for Ukraine’s foreign policy.
“The representative offices of foreign countries that are Ukraine’s trading partners should pay more attention to working with Ukrainian society, holding cultural events, supporting humanitarian projects, and forming a positive image. Otherwise, we will continue to have a situation where the country is an important trading partner, but at the same time is perceived negatively by the majority of citizens,” emphasized the founder of Experts Club.
Learn more about the study
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/1103619.html
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, Pozniy, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, URAKIN, Єременко
62.2% of Ukrainians believe that there is a severe labor shortage in the country. 25.4% of respondents believe that there is a shortage, but it is not serious. 6.3% do not believe that there is a problem. Another 6.1% were undecided.
These are the results of a sociological study conducted by the research company Active Group on August 16, 2025, using the SunFlower Sociology online panel.
A survey conducted by Active Group in partnership with Experts Club found that among South American countries, Ukrainians have the highest level of sympathy for Argentina. According to data published in April 2025, 8.4% of respondents expressed a completely positive attitude toward this country, and another 29.3% expressed a mostly positive attitude. Thus, Argentina has the highest positive balance in the region — 34.6%.
Brazil came in second place in terms of support, with a total of 33.3% positive ratings (6.4% completely positive, 26.9% mostly positive) and a balance of 23.9%. Chile shows rather restrained sympathy: 4.3% of respondents were completely positive, 15.1% mostly positive, giving a balance of 13.3%. Peru, Bolivia, and Uruguay were at or slightly above 10% positive balance.
It is particularly noteworthy that for Bolivia this figure is 8.6%, despite a fairly high level of neutral attitudes — 70.5%.
The situation is much worse for Colombia, which has the lowest balance in the region — minus 4.5%. 18.1% of respondents expressed a mostly negative opinion, which significantly outweighs the total 14.6% of positive perceptions. Venezuela also has a negative balance of minus 2.1%, mainly due to political instability and negative associations in the media.
Most South American countries are perceived by Ukrainians as mostly neutral. In Paraguay, Suriname, Guyana, and Uruguay, the level of neutrality ranges from 71% to 74%. This indicates weak emotional contact and insufficient presence of these countries in Ukraine’s information space.
“Latin American countries remain largely outside the scope of active Ukrainian interest, which creates both challenges and opportunities. Where the level of neutrality is high, there is room for diplomacy, cultural exchange, and building a positive image,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
According to new sociological data published by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club in April 2025, Ukrainian public opinion on South and East Asian countries and Oceania varies significantly. Japan, Australia, and New Zealand are in favor, while China and some countries in Southeast Asia show either a negative or neutral balance.
Japan received the highest positive rating among the countries in the region, with 62.4% of Ukrainians having a positive attitude towards it, including 26.9% who are completely positive and 39.1% who are mostly positive. It is followed by Australia and New Zealand with an identical net balance of 60.7%. In Australia, 23% of respondents chose the completely positive option, in New Zealand — the same, while more than 40% in each country gave a “mostly positive” rating.
South Korea, with 15.1% completely positive ratings and 34.6% mostly positive, has a respectable balance of 35.7%, although lower than the leaders. Thailand (36.4% positive perception) and Singapore (33.8%) also hold relatively high positions thanks to their stable image associated with tourism and development.
In contrast, countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are dominated by neutral assessments — over 60% — indicating limited awareness or an information vacuum. In all these countries, the positive balance does not exceed 10%.
Despite its economic weight, China has one of the worst images among Ukrainians in the region: 15.9% expressed a mostly positive opinion, but 35.5% rated China neutrally, and the negative balance was -23.2%. This reflects a certain distrust that has formed against the backdrop of geopolitical events and the information background.
“It is particularly interesting that even Ukraine’s economically important partners, such as China (its largest trading partner), receive low support ratings among Ukrainians. This indicates that Ukrainian society values moral support above real trade and does not recognize “neutrality” if it is not accompanied by humanitarian gestures,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Thus, the results indicate that there is significant potential for countries in the region, particularly Southeast Asia, to improve their image in Ukraine through cultural diplomacy, tourism marketing, and economic cooperation.
In April 2025, Active Group, in collaboration with the Experts Club think tank and the SunFlower Sociology platform, conducted a survey on the attitudes of Ukrainian citizens toward Central Asian and Caucasian countries. The results show a predominantly neutral or moderately positive perception of the region, with Georgia and Kazakhstan as clear leaders in terms of favorability.
Georgia received the largest share of positive ratings: 16.8% of Ukrainians said they had a completely positive attitude, and another 37.0% said they were mostly positive. Together, this forms a positive balance of 40%. Kazakhstan has a similar level of sympathy: 11.6% completely positive, 34.2% mostly positive, with a net balance of 41.9%. Azerbaijan ranks third with a total positive rating of 42.4%, although neutral assessments significantly prevail there — 45.4%.
In contrast, the countries of Central Asia are dominated by neutral responses: 63.4%, 64.3%, 66.4%, and 61.3% in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, respectively. All of them have a balance of sympathy below 12%, and Turkmenistan even shows zero support (-0.2%), mainly due to low awareness.
On the other hand, 8.4% have a completely positive attitude towards Armenia and 29.9% have a mostly positive attitude, putting it in fourth place with a balance of 35.5%.
“Despite their shared Soviet heritage, Ukrainian society views Central Asian countries mostly through the prism of caution or indifference. At the same time, the examples of Georgia and Kazakhstan demonstrate that close intergovernmental ties and a positive media presence can significantly influence public opinion,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Thus, the study’s conclusions indicate that in a region with potential for interaction with Ukraine, the key factor is not only historical memory, but also contemporary diplomatic and cultural activity.
The results of the latest sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club analytical center and the SunFlower Sociology platform show that Ukrainians generally have a cautious or wary attitude toward Arab and Muslim countries. The survey covered 800 respondents in April 2025.
The most positive attitude among those surveyed was toward Turkey — 6% of Ukrainians expressed a completely positive attitude, and another 40.4% — mostly positive. The overall positive balance is 34.4%. Israel was the second most popular country among Ukrainians, with 9% of respondents expressing a completely positive attitude and 33.1% expressing a mostly positive attitude, although the positive balance here is slightly lower at 28.2%.
Next in terms of favorability are the United Arab Emirates (with a total positive rating of 24.9%) and Saudi Arabia (15.7%). It should be noted that almost 69% of Ukrainians took a neutral position on Saudi Arabia, which is one of the highest figures among all countries surveyed.
As for Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia, Jordan, Algeria, and Kuwait, neutral or indifferent assessments dominate, with a positive balance ranging from 6.5% to -3.6%. Attitudes toward Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Iran are even more critical, with negative views outweighing positive ones by tens of percentage points. For example, Iran has the lowest score, with only 2.2% of responses being entirely positive, 7.2% mostly positive, and a full 30.1% negative, giving a net balance of -55.9%. The situation is similar for Iraq (-34.2%) and Palestine (-32.1%).
“Mass neutrality, and in some cases open negativity, towards many Muslim countries indicates a lack of information links, as well as an ambiguous perception of the role of these states in global politics. Against this backdrop, Turkey and Israel have the opportunity to strengthen humanitarian and economic ties with Ukraine,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of Experts Club.
Thus, the data emphasizes that the depth of ties and real actions of countries in times of trial determine the level of public trust in Ukraine — even in geographically remote regions.
