How Ukrainians assess chances of peace in 2026: What survey shows
Photo: one-third of Ukrainians hope for peace in the new year (Getty Images)
Increasingly, Ukrainians are hopeful that the war will end by 2026. Currently, one-third of Ukrainian citizens have hope for the arrival of peace, according to the results of a survey by the Rating sociological group.
To find out Ukrainians’ expectations for 2026, sociologists surveyed 1,000 citizens. The questions concerned their hopes for peace in the world and their outlook on the overall situation next year.
Expectations for peace in the world
Hopes for peace are growing — while currently one-third of respondents report such hopes, in November 2023, only 26% did.
Scenarios for peace are divided into three roughly equal groups. One-third of Ukrainians are convinced that the year will be more peaceful, another third believe that nothing will change, and the remaining third expect it to be even more turbulent.
Expectations for 2026
Most Ukrainian citizens view 2026 with optimism; however, positive sentiments are declining, while skepticism about the changes is increasing.
In 2023, 51% of Ukrainians hoped for a better year ahead, whereas now only 39% of respondents share this view.
The share of those who believe that everything will remain unchanged is 27%, up from 20% in 2024. One in four respondents, as in 2024, thinks that the next year will be worse.
The most optimistic are residents of villages and people over 51 years old. At the same time, the highest level of pessimism is observed among men aged 18–35.
Before the full-scale invasion, more than half of Ukrainians used Ukrainian in everyday life, about one-third spoke Russian, and another 15–17% used both languages. Currently, the share of Ukrainian speakers has risen to 60%, while those who speak only Russian remain under 10%.
