During the year of full-scale war, Ukrainians' belief that Ukraine will be a prosperous country within the European Union in 10 years has decreased. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
"We are indeed seeing an increase in pessimism (from 5% to 19%, the number of those who believe that in 10 years Ukraine will be a country with a ruined economy and a large outflow of people has increased). However, the vast majority of Ukrainians (73%) still believe that in 10 years Ukraine will be a prosperous country within the EU (in October 2022, the number was 88%)," the report said.
In all regions, most people believe that Ukraine will be a prosperous country within the EU in the future. The lowest number is in the East, where 67% have optimistic views (and 25% share pessimistic views). In other regions, 73-76% are optimistic about the country's future (16-19% are pessimistic).
Regardless of age, most Ukrainians are optimistic about the future. However, it should be noted that younger respondents were slightly more pessimistic. In particular, among respondents aged 18-29, 68% are optimistic about Ukraine's future in 10 years, while 26% are pessimistic.
"We cannot afford to underestimate Russia, which retains the potential to cause great suffering to Ukraine. For society, a particular image of the future is not a simple assessment of the probability of certain events (as in forecasting, for example, the trajectory of the planet). For society, the forecast and the plan are interconnected, and confidence in a particular scenario brings these events closer or further away. An optimistic vision of the future supports us and gives us strength to punish the aggressor," commented Anton Hrushetskyy, Executive Director of KIIS.
Support for Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO among citizens has decreased by 7% and 6% respectively since mid-summer.