According to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from February 2 to 6, 2025, 46% of Ukrainians believe the country is moving in the wrong direction. This is a 7-percentage-point increase compared to April 2024, when 38% shared this view.
Key survey results:
- 38% of Ukrainians think the country is moving in the right direction (51% in April 2024).
- 46% believe it is moving in the wrong direction (39% in April 2024).
- 16% were unsure.
Why it matters:
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 68% of Ukrainians believed the country was on the right path, while 16% thought otherwise. Over time, pessimistic sentiment has gradually increased.
Possible reasons for the shift:
In April 2024, optimism temporarily improved following U.S. approval of aid to Ukraine.
In early 2025, the situation worsened again, possibly due to economic difficulties and the prolonged war.
KIIS surveys at the end of 2024 showed that, despite all the challenges and uncertainty, most Ukrainians remained optimistic about the future. However, there is indeed a growing trend of pessimism, and the latest survey on the country’s direction further highlights the many concerns Ukrainians have.
"Ukraine has been living under full-scale war for nearly three years, and the challenges of early 2025—including the war with Russia, cooperation with international partners, and internal issues—seem to be intensifying. Given the existential nature of these threats, solidarity and mutual support must be preserved among all Ukrainians, regardless of profession or political affiliation. Only together can we overcome this difficult period," added KIIS.
The composition of the macroregions is as follows: Western macroregion - Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi oblasts; Central macroregion - Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Kyiv regions, Kyiv city, Southern macroregion - Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Odessa regions, Eastern macroregion - Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.
