Gap between support for Zelensky and Zaluzhny narrows - survey

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi have similar levels of electoral support among Ukrainians. Over the last two months, the difference between them has narrowed by more than threefold. At the same time, sociologists recorded a decline in trust toward a number of well-known politicians and officials.

This is evidenced by the results of a new survey by the sociological group Rating Group, conducted on October 3-5, 2026.

In the first round of hypothetical presidential elections, 22.9% of respondents are ready to vote for Volodymyr Zelensky, and 20.2% for Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The difference is 2.7 percentage points.

For comparison, during the previous Rating Group study conducted on August 5-6, Zelensky was supported by 25.2% of respondents, and Zaluzhnyi by 16.7%.

Thus, over two months, Zelensky's figure decreased by 2.3 percentage points, while Zaluzhnyi's increased by 3.5 points. The gap between them narrowed from 8.5 to 2.7 percentage points.

At the same time, the difference between the October results of the two politicians is small relative to the declared statistical margin of error of the survey, so it should not be interpreted as a definite advantage for either of them.

Support for other potential candidates has also changed noticeably. According to the October study, their results are:

• Petro Poroshenko - 7.6% vs 5.6% in August;
• Mykhailo Fedorov - 7.6% vs 12.5%;
• Kyrylo Budanov - 6.7% vs 7.9%;
• Andriy Biletsky - 5.4% vs 2.2%;
• Dmytro Razumkov - 5.1% vs 2.8%.

Among the listed figures, support for Mykhailo Fedorov changed the most: it decreased by 4.9 percentage points. In August, he had the third-highest result among potential candidates, and now he shares this position with Petro Poroshenko.

Meanwhile, Andriy Biletsky's rating rose by 3.2 percentage points, and Dmitry Razumkov's by 2.3 points.

Among other politicians, Serhiy Prytula would be supported by 2.4% of respondents, Yulia Tymoshenko by 1.9%, and Yuriy Boyko by 1.4%.

Another 4.5% of respondents would choose another candidate, 5.2% do not plan to participate in the elections, and 9.2% are undecided.

Separately, Rating Group examined the level of trust in politicians and public figures. According to this indicator, Valerii Zaluzhnyi has 64% trust, while 25% of respondents expressed distrust toward him. In August, 68% of respondents trusted Zaluzhnyi.

Volodymyr Zelensky is trusted by 53% of Ukrainians and distrusted by 40%. Over two months, the share of those who trust the president decreased by 6 percentage points - from 59% in August.

Kyrylo Budanov has a similar trust level of 53%, while 31% of respondents distrust him. In August, his trust level was 62%, meaning it dropped by 9 percentage points over two months.

The biggest change among these four figures was recorded in trust for Mykhailo Fedorov. In August, 58% of respondents trusted him, but in October only 38%. Meanwhile, 25% of current survey participants expressed distrust, and 29% said they had not heard of him.

Petro Poroshenko is trusted by 24% of respondents, while 70% expressed distrust.

Among other officials and figures, Yevheniia Khmara is trusted by 29% of respondents, distrusted by 16%, and 43% have not heard of her. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is trusted by 24%, distrusted by 18%, while 48% of respondents said they had not heard of him.

It should be noted that trust and electoral support are different indicators. A respondent may trust a certain politician but not choose them in a hypothetical presidential election question.

The results are also not a forecast of future elections but reflect the answers of Ukrainians at the time of the study.

The Rating Group survey took place on October 3-5 using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). It involved 1000 adult respondents from all regions of Ukraine, except temporarily occupied territories and areas where Ukrainian mobile communication is unavailable.

The sample is representative by age, gender, and type of settlement. The declared statistical margin of error does not exceed 3.1 percentage points with a 95% confidence level.

Source: Rating Group, Rating Group, "Kurs Ukrainy"