The attitude of Ukrainian citizens towards the May holidays has changed significantly between 2010 and 2026. Thus, Victory Day and Labor Day are no longer as important as they used to be. This is reported by UNN with reference to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
Details
The survey was conducted between January 9 and 14, 2026. 601 respondents aged 18 and older were interviewed in all territories controlled by the government of Ukraine.
Previously, Labor Day, celebrated on May 1, was one of the least popular holidays. In 2010, only 12% of Ukrainians considered it important or a favorite—the same figure was recorded in 2021.
After the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, the number of supporters of this holiday dropped to 5% and continues to remain at the same level.
At the same time, the attitude towards Victory Day, previously celebrated on May 9, has undergone significant changes. While in 2010, 58% of Ukrainians considered this holiday important in the calendar, this figure later began to decrease. In particular, this became possible due to the events of 2014—the Russian annexation of Crimea and the undeclared war in Donbas—and subsequently, due to the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
As sociologists noted, this is due to the fact that in modern Russia, the May 9 holiday is actively celebrated not as the Day of Victory over Nazism in World War II, but as a militaristic aggressive holiday and as a pretext for "saber-rattling" and threatening neighboring countries with war.
In 2026, the number of Ukrainians who consider Victory Day on May 9 a holiday decreased to 11%.
Recall
According to the KIIS survey, 57% of Ukrainians oppose the withdrawal of troops from the Donetsk region even with security guarantees. At the same time, the majority of respondents do not believe in US support and expect the war to end no earlier than 2027.