Language, Religion and Ethnicity

Ukrainian is the official language. The fall of Communism has renewed the importance of religion for structure and stability. 78 percent are Ukrainian and 17 percent are Russian.

Value System and Relationships

Individualism is high in the Ukraine although strong family ties will ease feelings of uncertainty. Ukrainians have a desire for harmony and an inclination to compromise and to tolerate differences. As hospitality is important, guests are given lots of attention. As an honest, hard days work is still not an accepted concept, there’s a great degree of suspicion, mistrust and envy of those who have accumulated wealth.

Business Climate

Ukrainians rely on personal contacts, especially within government, to get things done. A fundamental difference in the business world is that Westerners tend to take on a greater degree of personal responsibility than Ukrainians. As the regulatory system is often illogical, incomplete and arbitrary, “outside forces” will make it difficult for a Ukrainian counterpart to fulfill his/her obligations. Meetings are often rescheduled or cancelled at the last minute. Therefore, make sure to reconfirm any meetings. The country is still dealing with the effects of nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl in 1986.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is an interactive database that allows users to explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes towards the U.S. to peoples assessments of their own lives to views about globalization, democratization and extremism and other important issues.

Ukraine ranks as no. 134 (of 180 countries) on Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index.