New Year’s mood is far from a holiday fairy tale. For some, it is only a statement of the transition from one year to another, a symbolic replacement of the wall calendar with a new one, with a “five” at the end. For someone, a noisy celebration, “despite everything”, with all the well-known attributes of a feast. Someone is annoyed by the marginality of Ukrainians who, avoiding thoughts about the war, try to live “here and now”. Someone, on the contrary, sincerely rejoices for those who have not yet lost the taste for life and believe in a New Year’s miracle.
We are different, but not strangers
We are different, but not so different that we forget who we are. We have more in common than meets the eye. The war, which took away our loved ones, peace, home, made us stronger, more resilient, more united. Despite all the losses, we retain the ability to act, plan for the future and believe in the best.
There is a place for hope in New Year’s premonitions, even if they are far from ideal. Hopes that the new year will bring peace, albeit at a high price. That the life of every Ukrainian who stayed at home or was forced to go abroad will be filled with meaning and warmth. That each of us will be able to find our joy in the most important things: in meetings with those whom we have not seen for years, in travels, in real silence without explosions and worries…
Once upon a time, in the distant childhood, we drew greeting cards and usually wished our relatives peace, accompanying the wishes with crossed out tanks, bombs, warplanes and not understanding at all what war is and why we wish for peace, which is already certain. Peace seemed to be something so natural that its absence was not even imagined possible. And now we know what war is. She deprived us of our usual confidence and forced us to learn to appreciate every moment of peace. She showed how fragile security can be if you don’t fight for it.
Peace is an aspiration, one for all
So today, peace is not a valuable abstraction or a rhetorical wish on a postcard. This is our biggest dream, one for all. And the biggest New Year’s miracle is the feeling of security that comes home.
We are a nation that has the worst indicators in the world for everything that is really important, not even for life, for survival. The first in terms of mortality and migration, the last in terms of birth rate…
So it is vital for us to make peace a reality and not just a hope in the coming new year.
Optimistic mood with a note of caution
In December 2024, a large-scale international Gallup International End of Year Survey (EoY) ended, covering 35,882 respondents in 35 countries. Ukraine, actively represented in this project, demonstrated a difficult balance between optimism and the realities that shape public expectations from 2025.
Almost half of Ukrainians (45%) believe that 2025 will be better than 2024. Another 20% do not expect significant changes, and 27% predict deterioration. Last year, Ukrainians were more optimistic: in 2023, 51% of Ukrainians expected improvements and only 17% expected deterioration.
Older Ukrainians are among the most optimistic groups. In the 65+ category, 54% of respondents are convinced that the new year will be better. At the same time, young people (ages 18-24) are more skeptical: 33% believe that the situation will remain unchanged, and a large part predicts significant economic difficulties.
Economy: clouds over the horizon
One of the most pressing topics is expectations about the economic situation. A majority (63%) predict economic turmoil in 2025, and only 13% hope for stability. The rest either do not expect changes (20%), or have not decided on the forecast (5%). These sentiments have worsened compared to last year, when there were more optimists (17%) and fewer pessimists (52%).
Despite the general gloomy perception, Ukrainian youth aged 18-24 show the highest level of positivity about the country’s economy among all age groups.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
International context
On the global stage, Ukraine ranked 15th in terms of the overall level of optimism for 2025. Among the countries of Eastern Europe, Ukrainians were the most optimistic, having a positive Nation Index (+17%). For comparison: in Poland this indicator is -14%, in Serbia -21%, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina -38%.
According to the index of expectations of economic development, Ukraine, unfortunately, found itself among the outsiders, taking 32nd place. Only Germany and Australia ranked lower.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
Saudi Arabia and China were at the head of the global rating of optimism. These countries set the tone for confidence about the future.
Be that as it may, the word “new” portends new hopes, expectations, plans, so we wish that the coming year fulfills your hopes and dreams, and gives each of us what we desire the most.
