According to a sociological study conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in February 2026, the war remains the most pressing challenge for the majority of Ukrainians. 65% of respondents identified it as one of the biggest problems facing Ukraine today.
This is reported by Finway
Corruption and Living Standards Among Priority Issues
Corruption ranked second among the main challenges concerning citizens, highlighted by 29% of respondents. Another 26% pointed to low living standards, as well as insufficient salaries and pensions, as one of the country’s major problems.
Researchers emphasize that during the survey, open-ended questions were used: respondents formulated their answers independently, without choosing from a prepared list. This allowed for a more objective understanding of the true sentiments and concerns of the people.
The War Has Become a Normal Context of Life
Sociologists note that among the 65% of respondents who mentioned the war as a key challenge, 53% identified it as the primary issue. However, nearly half of the respondents initially mentioned other issues in their answers, and a third did not mention the war at all, viewing it as a normal context of existence. According to analysts, after four years of full-scale war in Ukraine, this issue has become part of everyday life for many, leading to other problems increasingly coming to the forefront.
“This means that almost half of the respondents primarily named other problems/challenges in response to this question, rather than the war (and a third of respondents did not mention the war at all). Perhaps, over four years of full-scale war, it has become a ‘norm of life’ or ‘ordinary context’ for many Ukrainians. Accordingly, Ukrainians are thinking about other challenges that need to be addressed considering this ‘context.’ For example, many spoke about the energy situation. Respondents may not have explicitly stated that this is a direct consequence of the war, but evidently, for many, it was assumed ‘by default,'” explained the KMIS.
During the survey conducted in February 2026, 24% of respondents identified the energy situation as the main challenge, 19% expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the Ukrainian authorities, and 13% emphasized economic difficulties.
The study covered 1003 individuals aged 18 and older across all regions controlled by the Ukrainian government. The survey was conducted through telephone interviews based on a random sample from February 12 to 24, 2026.