The sociological group "Rating" has published the first part of the survey as part of the international study "End of the Year" from the international sociological association “Gallup International”. This is a global annual survey about the future, happiness and expectations of the population of different countries. In 2025, 59 636 respondents in 60 countries of the world were surveyed.
The topic of the first publication is the general expectations of Ukrainians for the coming year. To this end, in November 2025, sociologists from “Rating” asked a thousand citizens about their vision of the general situation, expectations regarding economic development and peace in the world.
General expectations for 2026
The relative majority of Ukrainians are generally optimistic about 2026. But the trend is towards a decrease in positive sentiment and an increase in skepticism about change.
In 2023, 51% of Ukrainians believed that the next year would be better. Now 39% hold this opinion.
The percentage of those who believe that nothing will change is 27% (compared to 20% in 2024). The share of “pessimists” has also practically not changed: as in 2024, now every fourth respondent believes that next year will be worse.
Rural residents, as well as people over 51, view the situation more optimistically. In contrast, pessimism is most prevalent among younger men, especially those aged 18-35.
In general, the mood in Western and Eastern Europe is one of stagnation and deterioration. Against this background, Ukrainians are rather optimistic.
Economic expectations
Like a year ago, Ukrainians are preparing for economic difficulties. This fits into the pan-European and global trend of economic pessimism.
Perceptions of the economic outlook 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 has been at the level of 63-64% for two years.
Residents of western Ukraine and rural areas have slightly more optimistic economic expectations. Young men have a more negative outlook.
Overall, economic pessimism is a global trend, especially in Western and Eastern Europe. Ukraine is among the top five countries with the most economic pessimism, along with Belgium, France, Latvia, and Germany.
Expectations for world peace
Expectations for world peace are growing in Ukrainian society. Scenarios for world peace are split roughly evenly: a third of Ukrainians believe the year will be more peaceful, another third that it will be the same, and a third that it will be more turbulent.
However, there is a trend of increasing hope for a more peaceful world: if now a third of Ukrainians have such an idea, then in November 2023 this was the case for 26% of respondents.
In the vast majority of countries where the survey was conducted, the dominant feeling is that the world will be more unstable. For example, in Western Europe, 55% believe so, and in Eastern Europe, 42%. Thus, Ukrainians have somewhat more hopes for an improvement in the security situation in the world.
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