Most Ukrainians want a change of government, particularly a change of president: details from a recent poll

While the war is still ongoing, Ukrainians are opposed to holding elections, but after victory, 88% of citizens want to completely overhaul the government. Demand for a new president is also at a record high—67%—and even those who currently support the incumbent head of state are hoping for change. Find out why the public is already ready for new leaders

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According to the latest opinion polls, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian citizens (88%) expect a complete overhaul of the central government once hostilities have ended. Demand for a change of head of state has also risen significantly: currently, 67% of respondents believe it is necessary to elect a new president following victory. This is evidenced by data from a recent survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), conducted in the spring and summer of 2026.

When will elections take place in Ukraine, and do citizens support them?

Sociologists emphasise a key point: the discussion concerns electoral processes exclusively in peacetime. Consistent survey results show that Ukrainians are opposed to holding any elections until the war is over.

However, the demand for a post-war renewal of all branches of government is growing rapidly. Whilst three years ago 73 per cent of citizens expected a renewal of at least one level of the country’s leadership, this figure has now reached 88 per cent. The greatest demand for change concerns parliament — 83 per cent of those surveyed want to see a new Verkhovna Rada (compared with 69 per cent previously). The demand for a change in the Cabinet of Ministers has also risen significantly – from 47% to 74%. As for the presidency, the number of supporters of a post-war reset has risen most sharply: from 23% to the current 67%.

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What is Zelenskyy’s approval rating, and why is the public expecting change?

Researchers at KIIS have identified an interesting sociological phenomenon: the desire to change the government after the war is evident even among those who currently support the incumbent head of state. Only among citizens who express absolute trust in Volodymyr Zelenskyy does a minority (33 per cent) advocate a reset of the presidential hierarchy after the war. By contrast, among those who ‘tend to trust’ the president, as many as 68 per cent expect a new leader to take office in peacetime. Among those who do not trust the president, the call for change, as expected, extends to almost 100 per cent of respondents.

As Anton Hrushetskyi, Executive Director of KMIS, notes, the majority of citizens continue to recognise Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy and trust him in the context of an existential confrontation with Russia. Hostile narratives about his ‘illegitimacy’ find no support among the overwhelming majority of the population.

The unity of Ukrainians around the institution of the presidency is a conscious step taken by ‘state-oriented’ citizens who are determined to prevail in the war. They are prepared to criticise the authorities over domestic issues, but are putting off uncompromising political struggle for the time being for the sake of the country’s survival. At the same time, in the future, in peacetime, this very society wants to see representatives of a new generation of political leaders at the helm.

Survey details: The KMIS survey was conducted between 7 May and 3 June 2026 via telephone interviews. It involved 1,000 adult citizens from all government-controlled regions of Ukraine. Under normal conditions, the statistical margin of error does not exceed 4.1% for figures close to 50%.

Reminder! A new system of financial support has been introduced in Ukraine for military personnel, special forces soldiers and foreign nationals serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Find out what payments, allowances and combat bonuses are provided for under the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution, who is eligible to receive up to 460,000 hryvnias per month, and how the new payment mechanism will work.

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