Russians losing confidence in the future: indicators worsened over the year

The level of life satisfaction among Russians has noticeably decreased over the year. In July 2026, 47% of respondents called themselves satisfied with their lives, compared to 57% a year earlier. At the same time, the share of those who are not confident in the future and forced to limit their usual lifestyle has grown.

This is reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, citing the results of recent sociological research in Russia.

According to data from the Levada Center, the share of Russians satisfied with their lives fell by 10 percentage points over the year. Another 35% of respondents answered that their life suits them only partially, while 16% said they are not satisfied with it.

For comparison, in July 2025, the life satisfaction indicator reached 57% — the maximum value for the period under consideration.

Russians are losing confidence in the future

At the same time, expectations about the future worsened. Currently, 56% of respondents feel confident about tomorrow — 10 percentage points less than a year ago.

The share of those who do not feel such confidence grew by 11 percentage points over the year and reached 41%.

Russians aged 40 to 54, people with low incomes, and residents of large cities assess their future most pessimistically. Among the least well-off respondents, 58% do not feel confident about tomorrow.

At the same time, indicators depend noticeably on citizens' attitude towards the Russian authorities. Among those who believe the country is moving in the wrong direction, 68% are not confident in the future. Among respondents who do not approve of Vladimir Putin's activities, the figure reaches 77%.

Every fourth person forced to look for any earnings

The way Russians describe their daily lives has also changed. Only 34% claim that over recent years "nothing in particular has changed" for them. Over the year, their share decreased by 6 percentage points.

About 26% of respondents admitted that they are forced to grab any opportunity to earn money in order to ensure an acceptable standard of living for themselves and their loved ones.

Another 17% reported that they had to give up their usual lifestyle and get used to restrictions. Over the year, the share of such Russians grew by 3 percentage points.

8% of respondents were unable to fully adapt to current conditions. Only 13% said they managed to take advantage of emerging opportunities and achieve more.

Fatigue grows against the backdrop of war and instability

Other Levada Center polls conducted in July also show a deterioration in public sentiment. More than half of respondents consider the political situation in Russia tense, another 13% call it critical.

Russians who assess the situation negatively cite ongoing military actions, instability, and fear of the future among the main reasons.

Compared to last year, respondents also more often talk about fatigue and indifference, and when assessing the state of those around them — about confusion.

The study was conducted from July 21 to 28, 2026 among 1612 adult residents of Russia in 137 settlements of 50 regions.

Based on materials from: Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Levada Center