The End of Year Survey (EoY) is a global annual survey conducted by the international sociological association Gallup International on the future, happiness and expectations of the population of different countries. In 2025, 59,636 respondents in 60 countries around the world were surveyed. In Ukraine, the EoY survey has been conducted for the third consecutive year by the Rating Group sociological agency.

This is the first issue in the EoY series. Its theme is Ukrainians' general expectations for the coming year. To this end, in November 2025, we asked 1,000 citizens about their views on the overall situation, their expectations for economic development and world peace.

General expectations for 2026

A relative majority of Ukrainians are generally optimistic about 2026. However, there is a downward trend in positive sentiment and an increase in scepticism about change.

• In 2023, half (51%) of Ukrainians believed that the following year would be better, while now only 39% hold this view. Nevertheless, this is still a relatively common view of the situation.
• The percentage of those who believe that nothing will change is 27% (compared to 20% in 2024). The proportion of ‘pessimists’ has also remained virtually unchanged: as in 2024, one in four respondents now believes that next year will be worse.
• Rural residents and older people aged 51+ are more optimistic about the situation. On the other hand, the most pessimistic are younger men, especially those aged 18-35.
• In general, Western and Eastern Europe are dominated by feelings of stagnation and deterioration. Against this backdrop, Ukrainians tend to be more optimistic.

Economic expectations

As was the case a year ago, Ukrainians are preparing for economic difficulties. This is in line with the general European and global trend of economic pessimism.

• Perceptions of economic prospects have remained virtually unchanged over the past year: about two-thirds of respondents believe that 2026 will be a year of economic hardship, one in ten expects prosperity, and one in five believes that nothing will change. In 2023, the share of economic pessimism was slightly lower (52%), but for the second year in a row, it has remained at 63-64%.
• Residents of the west and villages have slightly more optimistic economic expectations. Once again, young men have a more negative outlook.
• In general, economic pessimism is a global trend, especially in Western and Eastern Europe. Ukraine is among the top five countries with the highest economic pessimism, along with Belgium, France, Latvia, and Germany.

Expectations for world peace

Society's hopes for world peace are growing.

• Scenarios for world peace are divided roughly equally: one-third of Ukrainians believe that the year will be more peaceful, another third believe it will be the same, and the remaining third believe it will be more turbulent.
• However, we see a growing trend of hope for a more peaceful world: while a third of Ukrainians currently hold this view, in November 2023 it was only 26%.
• In the vast majority of countries where the survey was conducted, the prevailing sentiment is that the world will be more turbulent. For example, 55% of respondents in Western Europe and 42% in Eastern Europe believe this to be the case. Thus, Ukrainians have slightly higher expectations for an improvement in the global security situation.

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Rating Group is one of Ukraine's largest research institutions, operating since 2008. The company is registered in Ukraine and has extensive experience in conducting sociological surveys in Ukraine and abroad. The group includes: Sociological Group Rating, Rating Lab research laboratory, Rating Online platform, and Rating Call Centre.