Almost half of Ukrainians believe the country is moving in the wrong direction – poll

Almost half of Ukrainians believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction. This opinion is shared by 45% of respondents, while 40% called the current direction of development the right one. At the same time, among the feelings towards the authorities, Ukrainians most often mention disappointment and shame.

This is evidenced by the results of the all-Ukrainian public opinion poll “Omnibus”, conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on September 12-21, 2026.

According to sociologists, 45% of respondents believe that things in Ukraine are developing in the wrong direction. 40% hold the opposite opinion, and another 15% could not decide.

Compared to February 2024, the share of Ukrainians who positively assess the direction of the country’s development has decreased from 44% to 40%. The share of those who consider it wrong has practically not changed – 46% then versus 45% now. At the same time, the number of those who could not give an unambiguous answer has increased from 10% to 15%.

Separately, KIIS studied the attitude of Ukrainians towards the current government. The most common feeling was disappointment – it was mentioned by 44% of respondents. In December 2025, there were 36% of such people.

The share of those who feel ashamed of the government has increased even more noticeably – from 20% to 33%. Anger was mentioned by 20% of respondents compared to 14% previously, hatred – 14% compared to 11%, indifference – 12% compared to 7%.

23% of respondents feel hope for the current government, 16% feel sympathy, and 7% feel pride. Sympathy and laughter were mentioned by 4% of respondents each.

There are negative assessments even among Ukrainians who fully trust Volodymyr Zelensky. Among them, 20% speak of disappointment with the authorities, 19% of shame, and 10% of anger.

At the same time, 61% of those who fully trust Zelensky believe that the country is moving in the right direction. Among Ukrainians who do not trust the president, the prevailing opinion is that things in the country are developing incorrectly.