A relative majority of Ukrainians are generally optimistic about 2026, but there is a downward trend in positive sentiment and an increase in skepticism about changes. This was reported by UNN with reference to the sociological group "Rating".
Details
The survey was conducted from November 11 to 14, 2025, using computer-assisted telephone interviews. 1000 respondents aged 18 and older were interviewed in the territories controlled by the government of Ukraine.
According to the survey, in 2023, half (51%) of Ukrainians believed that the next year would be better, and now 39% hold this opinion.
The percentage of those who believe that nothing will change is 27% (compared to 20% in 2024). Also, the share of "pessimists" has practically not changed: as in 2024, every fourth respondent now believes that the next year will be worse.
Residents of rural areas, as well as older people aged 51+, are more optimistic about the situation. In contrast, the most pessimism is among younger men, especially those aged 18-35.
At the same time, perceptions of economic prospects have hardly changed over the year: about two-thirds of respondents believe that 2026 will be a year of economic difficulties, one in ten expects prosperity, and one in five expects nothing to change. In 2023, the share of economic pessimism was slightly lower (52%), but for the second year in a row, it has remained at 63-64%.
Scenarios for world peace are roughly equally divided: one-third of Ukrainians believe that the year will be more peaceful, another third believes it will be the same, and the final third believes it will be more turbulent.
However, we see a growing trend of hope for a more peaceful world: while now a third of Ukrainians hold this view, in November 2023 it was 26%. In the absolute majority of countries where the survey was conducted, the dominant concern is that the world will be more turbulent. For example, in Western Europe, 55% believe so, and in Eastern Europe, 42%. Thus, Ukrainians have somewhat more hope for an improvement in the global security situation.
Recall
According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the vast majority of Ukrainians (78%) continue to believe that Ukraine has not done enough to prepare for the Russian invasion. At the same time, in September 2025, there were 81% of such people.