Some 59% of Ukrainians say they have seen "positive signs" in recent months in their country's fight against corruption, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
At the same time, 36% believe their nation is "hopelessly corrupt," showed the survey of 1,010 adults conducted from Sept 29 to Oct 9. Some 5% answered that it is "hard" to gauge the level of corruption.
Although KIIS had conducted no polls on the same question in the past, the institute said the results seem to show an increase in optimism among the population regarding the fight against corruption.
When asked how effectively their government was combating corruption, only 25% said "rather effectively" in a 2018 survey and 50% gave the same answer last winter. The answers could be comparable to the "positive signs" seen by 59% in the latest poll.
"We can cautiously assume that Ukrainians are now more optimistic about the fight against corruption than they were before the large-scale invasion" by Russin in February of 2022, KIIS said in announcing the results of the latest poll.
The fight against corruption is seen as key to Ukraine's potential inclusion in the European Union and to foreign donations and investment toward the planned reconstruction of the country.