Over 50% of Ukrainians believe Zelensky should limit himself to one term - poll

More than half of the surveyed Ukrainians - 53% - believe that President Volodymyr Zelensky should limit himself to the current term and not participate in the next presidential elections. 42% of respondents expressed support for his participation in a new campaign.

This is evidenced by the results of a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, conducted on September 12-21, 2026.

Compared to December 2025, the share of supporters of a single presidential term for Zelensky increased from 46% to 53%. At the same time, the share of those who believe he should run again decreased from 45% to 42%. Another 5% of respondents were undecided.

Expectedly, the attitude towards Zelensky's possible participation in the next elections largely depends on the level of trust in him. Among those who fully trust the president, 85% support his new candidacy. Among those who rather trust him - 53%, and among those who rather or completely do not trust him - 20% and 7%, respectively.

At the same time, KIIS recorded a deterioration in the emotional attitude towards the current government. Most often, respondents named disappointment - 44% compared to 36% in December 2025. Shame came in second - its share increased from 20% to 33%.

There were also more of those who feel anger towards the government - from 14% to 20%, hatred - from 11% to 14%, and indifference - from 7% to 12%. At the same time, the share of those who name hope remained unchanged at 23%, sympathy - 16%. Pride is felt by 7% of respondents, liking - 4%.

Respondents were allowed to choose up to three emotions, so the sum of answers exceeds 100%.

Despite the more critical attitude towards the government, the majority of respondents do not support holding elections now. According to KIIS, 71% believe that elections should be held after the end of the war, while 24% insist on holding them now. Another 4% were undecided.

Even among respondents who completely distrust Zelensky, 53% are in favour of elections now. And among those who rather distrust the president, the majority - 58% - still believe that voting now is not the time.

Assessments of the general direction of the country's development remain almost equally divided. 45% of respondents believe that things in Ukraine are developing in the wrong direction, 40% - in the right direction, and another 15% are undecided.

Compared to February 2024, this picture has not changed significantly: then 46% spoke about the wrong direction, and 44% about the right. The share of those who have no definite opinion increased most noticeably - from 10% to 15%.

Executive Director of KIIS Anton Hrushetskyi noted that the results indicate a demand for renewal of political elites, but mostly after the end of the war. According to him, society simultaneously critically assesses individual actions of the government and does not support holding elections under current conditions.

The survey was conducted by telephone interviews among 1002 adult citizens of Ukraine living in government-controlled territory. The sample did not include residents of temporarily occupied territories and Ukrainians who went abroad after February 24, 2022.

Based on materials: Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.