86% of Russians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction: results of a survey by the Ukrainian Sociological Portal
Putin lost even among his own: Russians ranked him fourth in the presidential rating
Most residents of Russia are dissatisfied with the country’s direction and the deterioration of their own material situation. At the same time Vladimir Putin was surpassed by three representatives of the current power system in trust ratings and potential support in the presidential elections. This is evidenced by the results of a study that 20 August 2026 were published by the Ukrainian Sociological Portal.
According to the survey results, only 10.1% of respondents believe that Russia is developing in the right direction. The opposite opinion was expressed by 86.2% of those surveyed. In particular, 50.5% assessed the situation in the country as categorically negative.
A worsening of their families’ material situation over the past year was reported by 75% of Russians. Of them, 30.8% reported a significant deterioration. An improvement in financial situation was noticed by only 9% of respondents.
In an open question about the politicians whom Russians trust most and whom they consider capable of improving the situation, first place was taken by the Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin — 48.3%.
Next were:
- Mikhail Mishustin — 35.1%;
- Andrey Belousov — 33.8%;
- Vladimir Putin — 32.9%.
Thus, the incumbent head of the Kremlin ended up only in fourth place.
Researchers obtained similar results during presidential election modeling. The largest electoral potential was shown by Sergey Sobyanin — 47.6%.
Following are:
- Mikhail Mishustin — 38.1%;
- Andrey Belousov — 36.7%;
- Vladimir Putin — 34.1%.
At the same time, the study’s authors emphasize that the results do not indicate a strengthening of the Russian opposition. The highest support was received by representatives of the same power vertical. That is, Russians are seeking a replacement for Putin mostly from within the existing system.
Among the main wishes regarding the country’s future, respondents most often named:
- peace — 71.5%;
- democracy — 63.4%;
- prosperity — 61.6%.
More than a third of respondents — 34.2% — believe that the country’s future is linked to Russia without Vladimir Putin.
The study was conducted from 1 to 7 August 2026 by telephone survey CATI, disguised as a marketing study. Sociologists surveyed 2000 respondents in the regions of Russia within its internationally recognized borders. The sample is representative by age, gender, type of settlement and region. The stated theoretical margin of error does not exceed 2.2% excluding the design effect.
