A majority of Ukrainians have expressed support for the protests against Draft Law No. 12414, which proposes changes to the operations of NABU and SAPO. According to a Gradus Research survey, 69% of respondents fully or partially support the protesters. At the same time, 43% of respondents say they are ready to join the protests personally. This high level of solidarity is accompanied by confidence in the protests’ effectiveness: 63% of respondents believe these actions will indeed have an impact on the situation.

Support for the protests is high, especially among younger respondents

96% of those surveyed are aware of the protests, and 69% say they support them. These figures are high and indicate strong public engagement with the issue.

The highest levels of support are observed among young people, residents of the western region and Kyiv, and those with higher education (including incomplete higher education). However, across all socio-demographic groups, support for the protests exceeds 50%. This reflects a distinctive feature of contemporary Ukrainian society — a combination of internal civic mobilization and a growing demand for justice.

At the same time, 43% of respondents expressed readiness to personally join the protests, showing a strong willingness to move from the position of observer to active participant.

Optimism about the protests’ potential impact is higher than expected

63% of respondents believe the protests “will have an impact on the situation,” with 27% convinced that this impact will be significant. This suggests that belief in civic pressure as an effective tool for shaping the country’s trajectory remains strong.

What, in people’s opinion, triggered the protests?

In response to the open-ended question “Why are people protesting?”, respondents most often said: “against restricting the powers of NABU and SAPO” (18%), “because of corruption in the country” (14%), and “for justice” (8%).

In the closed-ended question about potential causes of the protests, the most frequently selected responses were: “threat to the independence of NABU and SAPO” (43%), “risk of political interference in anti-corruption bodies” (46%), and “general distrust toward the government” (38%).

This is a clear signal that the anti-corruption agenda remains a key priority for Ukrainian society, even during wartime and periods of political instability.

Justice, the fight against corruption, and freedom of speech remain core values for Ukrainian society. Over 95% of respondents named these values as important to them, regardless of age, gender, or region. Support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (92%) and adherence to parliamentary procedures (87%) also ranked highly. While Ukraine’s European integration scored slightly lower (72%), it remains part of the country's broader system of public priorities.

It is therefore not surprising that a draft law perceived by many as threatening the independence of anti-corruption bodies and the principles of justice provoked a strong public response.

“The results demonstrate that Ukrainians remain deeply attuned to issues of justice and anti-corruption. Even during wartime, protests are not seen as fringe activity — they enjoy broad public support and reflect long-standing value stability. The fact that nearly half of respondents are ready to join personally, and two-thirds believe in a tangible outcome, sends a strong signal not only to domestic politicians, but also to international partners: Ukraine still has an active civil society,” said Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist, CEO & Founder of Gradus Research.

The survey was conducted by Gradus Research via self-administered questionnaires in the Gradus mobile application. The sample reflects the structure of the urban population aged 18–60 in cities with more than 50,000 residents by gender, age, settlement size, and region, excluding temporarily occupied territories and areas of active hostilities. Fieldwork was conducted on July 25–26, 2025. Sample size: 1,000 respondents.