About 63% of Ukrainians want to start their own business. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by Gradus Research in cooperation with the Government at the end of December last year.

According to the survey, young people expressed the greatest desire to have their own business. In particular:

• 76% among people aged 25 to 34;
• 75% among people aged 18 to 24.

The main reason for starting their own business is the desire to work for themselves rather than for another person. This is the answer of 44% of those who plan to start a business.

The main reasons also include:

• the opportunity to build one’s future – 35%;
• the opportunity to realize one’s dreams, ideas and potential – 31%;
• to have additional income – 30%;
• doing what you love – 26%.

The main problem on the way to starting their own business is the lack of start-up capital. This was the response of 66% of those who want to start their own business but have not yet done so.

Among the main reasons, Ukrainians also named:

• lack of a well-thought-out business plan – 22%;
• lack of access to knowledge and experience – 20%;
• political uncertainty – 18%;
• lack of ready-made production facilities – 8%.

At the same time, 43% of Ukrainians plan to start a business in the near future.

In 2023, the Government extended the program of non-refundable state grants, eRobota. Last year, more than 2,500 entrepreneurs took advantage of the program receiving a total of UAH 1.56 billion in grants.

At its meeting on January 27, the Government approved a resolution that would expand the sources of financing for the eRobota program.

In particular, the National Bank of Ukraine has created a special account called the Economic Recovery and Transformation Fund. Funds from this account will be used to provide grants for the processing sector under the eRobota program.

Dozens of processing companies will be established and expanded, which means thousands of new jobs. Therefore, the Government is interested in expanding support programs for small and medium-sized businesses.

Applications for the eRobota program are currently being accepted. Its terms and conditions are available on the official website: https://erobota.diia.gov.ua/.

The Gradus Research survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires in a mobile application on December 27-30, 2022. The number of effective interviews was 2000. Target group: men and women aged 18-55 who lived in the settlements of Ukraine before the start of the full-scale war and are currently living in Ukraine (excluding Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions).