Our Blog » What Ukrainians dislike about Europe — survey
“In a foreign land, the people are not the same — It’s hard to live with them!” T. H. Shevchenko
During the period of Russia’s military invasion, millions of people left Ukraine. Such a significant outflow of people has negatively affected the country’s economic situation, so it is crucial that they return after the end of the active phase of the war.
This issue prompted us to conduct our own research to answer the following important questions:
How many people are willing to return to their homeland?
What is better in Ukraine than in Europe?
What motivates people to return home?
The method of anonymous surveying was applied among Ukrainians currently living in European countries. In total, 1000 people participated in the survey.
Only 5% of respondents answered “No” to the question:
“Do you wish to return to Ukraine after the war ends.”
About 15% responded “Everything” to the question:
“What is better in Ukraine than in Europe.”
The main advantages of living in Ukraine according to the survey are:
To ensure our survey does not appear biased, we will provide several quotes and reflections from Ukrainian influencers on the current situation.
“Banks. I have about eight accounts in European banks and various fintech apps. And God forbid something goes wrong with a payment there. They can take weeks to resolve a simple transfer that got stuck somewhere in their processes — and this is considered normal. And nothing will help you except patience.
Ukraine’s potential for development has always been, is, and remains enormous. Based on fundamental data and resources, Ukraine is not inferior to, and in many aspects surpasses, its neighbors. Looking at what works well in Europe, we understand that we have everything needed to ensure things are no worse here. None of my personal acquaintances want to or will remain abroad.“
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Oleksiy Tymofeev
Top Manager, Co-founder of the investment company Trident Acquisitions Corp
“In Germany, I had to get a payment card. The harsh, merciless numbers — 4 trips to the bank, 6 postal envelopes containing three cards (two identical credit cards I didn’t order), three PIN codes (two of them completely identical, and no, not for the credit cards), and one of which was activated only after the fourth visit to the bank.
They say that German banks have good online banking. But unfortunately, I can’t assess this because I still haven’t received the letter with the activation code for online banking. And I don’t want to go to the branch.“
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Olena Burul
Financier, Editor of “Dengi.ua”
“Cafés and restaurants — it’s either a fast-food joint or Michelin-starred, nothing in between. Good coffee can only be found in Berlin. The rest tastes like they just rinsed the coffee machine.
Healthcare — ***** expensive, and good luck trying to book an appointment with an insurance doctor. Try booking one in Kyiv for today. Tomorrow? What kind of service do you have?!
Fines for everything: breathed the wrong way, walked into the wrong place. In this sense, what a free country we are! When they introduced fines for masks, we were shouting so much, but here, please, bring on more fines. When driving, you’re more afraid of getting a fine than of hitting someone.
Salaries — forgive me, but in my circle, professionals earning 1-2 thousand euros a month would look at that like it’s nothing and wouldn’t even get off the couch. A plumber earns more.
Bureaucracy — I now jokingly talk about “Diia” and watch how people react. It’s like, “Look, the second coming has begun.” Booking an appointment with government offices is a nightmare; everything can be done online!
Saving on everything. Water, heat. First of all, when I take a shower, it feels like the world moves one step closer to a flood. And in winter, you should be walking around at home in shorts, not a hoodie.
Saving on clothes — have you noticed how many Europeans walk around in worn-out shoes? For us, sneakers must be new and clean, but here, what they wear would be given to homeless people at the train station. Not everything is like that, but a lot of it is. It’s not a vice, but a symbol of saving money.
Sports. Let’s be honest, the idea that Europeans are athletes is a lie. Our gyms are packed with people, especially in Kyiv. Beauty is a cult for us.
Oh, beauty: manicures, cosmetic treatments cost as much as a ticket to Mars. They don’t even go, pretending it’s all “natural.” How can one live with nails and hair in such a condition everywhere?“ ___
Dmytro Raimov
Businessman, Political Technologist, Journalist
“Are the roads great abroad? Yes. In Poland, they’re nice. But in Germany, they are no better than Ukrainian ones, except for the number of lanes. In Belgium, they sort the trash. And that’s cool. But the same trash is collected once a week, or even once every two weeks… and only after a call. And it’s not just in Belgium.
Paypass payments at gas stations, cafés, or restaurants? In 80% of cases, they’ll look at you like you’re some kind of alien from another planet.
Going to the store on the weekend? Sorry, nobody’s working. And if they are, it’s only for a few hours.
In our cafés, the food is tastier. Even at our gas stations, the food is better than here. It’s the truth.“
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Vadym Pavlov
Editor-in-Chief of RIA/20minut.ua
“Buying furniture/appliances. In Ukraine, you buy something, and delivery and installation are possible the next day. In Europe — even if it’s in stock at the store, it’s pick-up only. If you order delivery and assembly — at best, it’ll be in a week.
There are almost no equivalents to services like Diia or Kyiv Digital in Europe, and most Europeans can’t even imagine such a thing is possible. Renting an apartment or commercial space is a whole other nightmare! You find a listing, but there’s probably no contact number, and if there is, they likely won’t answer. You send an email — wait for a few days for a response, then call again, write again.
When someone finally gets in touch and is ready to show the apartment, the earliest viewing is next week.
Let’s say the apartment is suitable. For the broker to get confirmation from the owner — it takes at least a week. Another week to prepare the contract. If only a month passes from the viewing to receiving the keys, then you’re lucky.“
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Oleksiy Davydenko
Entrepreneur, Co-owner of the “Ridni. Medtekhnika” network
“After spending time in Europe, I realized a few important things. There is no service like in Ukraine anywhere. The level of the beauty industry and specialists in the field of cosmetology is unmatched.
Dentists — the best are in Ukraine. Clinics and procedures? Only here!
The variety of products, the choice of stores, the selection of the tastiest restaurants. And how popular and high-quality our farming industry is becoming. The cheapest mobile service, home internet, the cheapest taxis, the cheapest postal services, 24-hour pharmacies, and stores that operate according to a schedule, not whenever they feel like it.”
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Daria Kvitkova
Instagram-blogger:
“Taxes. Nowhere in the world are there such low personal income taxes for entrepreneurs (6%) as in Ukraine! Not even in offshore zones! Germans and French (private entrepreneurs) ‘cash out’ in the Baltic countries at 22% and are overjoyed to avoid 50-60% taxes in their own countries. Restaurants and fresh market food. I rank Ukraine 4th among 27 European countries, after France, Italy, and Spain, for the number and quality of high-end and mid-range restaurants. And 1st place for price-to-quality ratio. It’s hard to find bad coffee in Ukraine, even in Obolon. In Berlin or Riga, it’s hard to find good coffee. And if you don’t dine in restaurants but are used to buying food at the market — you’re in for an even bigger shock in Europe.
Preschool education. No matter if you are part of the upper or lower middle class in Ukraine — you can provide your child, up to the age of 14, with a range of “developmental” disciplines that in European countries are only accessible to the old aristocracy! After 14 years — England and Switzerland easily surpass us. But we don’t look bad at all with our secondary education compared to Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy. Not to mention Eastern European countries. The most affordable internet. In Ukraine, we have the cheapest quality internet on the continent. For the 100-megabit internet that costs you $5 a month with Volia at home, you would pay anywhere from 50 euros to 100 pounds per month in the EU, from the Baltics to England.
We have European-quality mobile service and internet, but it costs next to nothing because the IT sector is not overburdened with regulations, bureaucracy, and licensing. For example, Kyivstar sincerely doesn’t know the names of over 50% of its subscribers. In most EU countries, for the past 10 years, it’s been impossible to buy a SIM card without a passport (!). We are truly the last European nation that hasn’t lost its freedom and anonymity on the internet.
Freedom behind the wheel. May God grant you, Ukrainian drivers, never to experience the level of stress that residents of European capitals feel every day behind the wheel, with smart cameras monitoring violations everywhere. When you accelerate three times to avoid being cut off in traffic above 50-70 km/h, you risk receiving fines worth your weekly salary! Believe me, you can’t even imagine the level of stress European drivers endure every day of their lives. So, rejoice in the freedom you still have, which hasn’t been taken away from you yet.”
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Mykhailo Kukhar
Senior Economist at Ukraine Economic Outlook
“Europe. To get a passport or any document, you need to visit ten different offices. Ordering an online certificate is often simply impossible — and you need many certificates in Europe. Packages take forever — yes, there is no ‘Nova Poshta’ there. Want to enroll your child in kindergarten? You have to visit all the local administration offices. Everything is over-regulated to death. Life is controlled by banks. And where banks don’t control, the state does.”
You can find good coffee or good food, but you need to make an effort, unless you live in France or Italy. There’s a lot of bureaucracy, often unnecessary and outdated. The principle of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ preserves outdated procedures for decades. So, in general — what is easily accessible to us is either unavailable, hidden, or comes at a very high price over there.”
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Ilya Kenigshtein
Entrepreneur, Co-founder and CEO of the Creative States network
Summary
No matter how ideal life in European countries may seem to us, the reality we face today speaks to only one thing: it’s time to take off the “rose-colored glasses” and start looking at the situation realistically.
Yes, indeed — in many aspects, our country still has a long way to go to reach Europe’s standards. However, after finding themselves on the other side and facing all the challenges, Ukrainians have realized an important thing — things aren’t so bad at home, and it’s within our power to make our country even better. As the saying goes, Ukraine begins with each of us!
