Should Zelensky run for a second term: what a new poll shows
2 December 13:23
The majority of Ukrainians believe that incumbent President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should end his political career after one presidential term. At the same time, there is a decrease in the level of trust in the head of state compared to September of this year. This is evidenced by a survey conducted by the Sociopolis research company, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
What Ukrainians think about a second term for Zelensky
According to the survey:
- 52.2% of respondents believe that Zelensky should limit himself to one term and not run in the next election.
- 42.8% support his possible re-nomination.
- 5% – have not decided.
According to the researchers, compared to September 2025, the share of supporters of “only one term” has increased. At the same time, support for the idea of a second term has decreased.
Is the president responsible for corruption scandals in his inner circle?
Sociologists also asked citizens whether Zelenskyi is personally responsible for the possible corrupt actions of Timur Mindich and other defendants in the high-profile case.
The results look like this:
- 60% of respondents are convinced that the president is responsible.
- 34% disagree with this position.
- 6% have not decided.
Trust in Zelenskyy: a downward trend
Separately, Sociopolis measured the level of trust in the president:
- 54% of Ukrainians said they trusted Zelenskyy (including 30.3% of respondents who fully trusted him, and 23.7% of respondents who rather trusted him)
- 41.9% expressed distrust, including 26.0% who do not trust him at all and 15.9% who rather distrust him.
Compared to September 2025:
- the level of trust has decreased from 59.7%,
- and the share of distrust has increased from 35.8%.
The researchers note that this is the second month in a row that trust indicators have shown negative dynamics.
What do the survey results mean?
Analysts explain that
- the increase in the share of those who do not support the second term may be due to rising social tensions and expectations of reforms;
- the issue of responsibility for corrupt actions of the environment significantly affects the assessment of the president’s performance;
- the decline in trust is not critical, but demonstrates a trend that may be important before the next election campaign.
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How the survey was conducted: methodology and sample
The survey was aimed at finding out the attitude of the Ukrainian population to current social and political issues.
The field stage lasted from November 18 to 24, 2025.
The general population included Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older, excluding residents of
- The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,
- temporarily occupied districts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions,
- other territories where there was no mobile coverage by Ukrainian operators at the time of the survey.
Ukrainians who were abroad at the time of the survey were not included in the sample.
Survey method: CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews) telephone interviews on a random sample of mobile numbers.
Sample size: 1007 respondents.
Theoretical statistical error (with a confidence level of 0.95):
- ±3.1% for values close to 50%;
- ±2.7% for values close to 25% or 75%;
- ±2.5% for values close to 20% or 80%;
- ±2.2% – for 15% or 85%;
- ±1.9% – for 10% or 90%;
- ±1.4% for 5% or 95%.
Due to rounding, the amounts in the tables may slightly differ from 100%.
