Most of the Ukrainian population holds a negative attitude towards the leadership of the United States of America, while Ukrainians remain more loyal and friendly towards ordinary Americans
According to recent nationwide sociological research conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), approximately 63% of Ukrainians currently have a positive perception of the United States overall, while 29% regard them negatively. Although attitudes towards the American government and its policies have fluctuated significantly over the years of independence, in 2025 there is a sharp deterioration specifically concerning Washington’s policy towards Ukraine. According to the survey, over 90% of Ukrainians treat ordinary Americans with friendliness and trust, whereas their attitude towards US leadership is more critical. About 68% of respondents evaluate US policies negatively, while only 24% view them positively. The results indicate that the relatively negative perception of US policies is driven by the particular historical and political experience of the Ukrainian population, as well as long-term studies in the field of socio-political attitudes. KIIS sociologists emphasize that since February 2025, there has been a significant deterioration in the US image among Ukrainians, which is likely connected to Washington’s reactions to the situation in Ukraine, political steps, and statements of American leadership that have not always aligned with Ukrainian public expectations. This attitude poses a reasonable risk of forming sentiments among Ukrainians that are close to “anti-Americanism” or skepticism towards US foreign policy intentions. However, sociologists remind that even during the active fighting and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, especially after the occupation of Crimea and the beginning of the war in Donbas, Ukrainians demonstrated more restrained positions regarding Russia. At that time, over 75% of the population viewed the Russian leadership poorly, yet the majority (up to 76%) maintained trust in ordinary Russian citizens. This suggests that Ukrainians’ attitudes were shaped not only by political events but also depended on the context and circumstances. It is noted that the worsening attitude towards the US in 2025 does not yet indicate a universal antagonism, as attitudes toward specific aspects of US policy and ordinary Americans vary widely. In this context, sociologists highlight that the survey was conducted from May 15 to June 3, 2023, using telephone interviews with a random sample of mobile phone numbers, involving over 2000 respondents aged 18 and older from all regions under Ukrainian control. Specifically, about 500 Ukrainians were surveyed to study attitudes towards the foreign policies of the US and EU regarding Ukraine, while over 1000 individuals were surveyed to assess broader public sentiments. Residents of occupied territories and citizens who left Ukraine after the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022, were not included in the sample. The formal margin of error for a sample size of 1000 respondents is considered to be no more than 4.1%, while for smaller samples it is up to 5.8%. Given the military situation and possible systematic deviations, sociologists emphasize that the collected data maintain a high level of representativeness and allow for an in-depth analysis of Ukrainian public attitudes towards the foreign policy situation and potential changes in daily perceptions of global players.