In June 2026, the Anti-Corruption Foundation conducted a new nationwide opinion poll. Its findings show that over the past two years, Russians have become significantly more pessimistic about the situation in the country, their own financial circumstances, and their families’ prospects.

Just over 20% of respondents believe that life in Russia will improve within the next six months to a year. In 2024, more than 36% expected things to get better. At the same time, the share of those who believe the situation will continue to deteriorate has risen considerably.

A similar trend can be seen in responses about families’ futures. A year and a half ago, almost 43% of respondents expected their families to be better off within six months to a year. By June 2026, that figure had fallen below 30%. Over the same period, the share of respondents expecting their families’ situation to worsen increased by almost 10 percentage points.

Nearly 40% of respondents said their family’s financial situation had recently deteriorated. In January 2025, around 28% gave the same answer.

The poll shows that Russians are losing confidence in the future and increasingly doubt the stability promised by the authorities. Only 23% of respondents believe that Russia is currently stable, while almost 70% disagree. In earlier polls, around half of respondents said there was no stability in the country.

Anxiety remains one of the main emotions experienced by Russians, with almost 80% of respondents reporting it. Public sentiment is being shaped by worsening economic conditions, rising everyday expenses, disruptions to communications and electricity supplies, fuel shortages, air raid alerts, and other consequences of the war.

United Russia’s Negative Rating Continues to Rise

ACF also asked respondents about their attitudes towards political parties. More than a quarter said they would not vote for United Russia under any circumstances. The ruling party’s negative rating has increased since the previous poll conducted in April.

At the same time, support for the Communist Party and the New People party has grown. This may indicate a rising demand for protest voting and a greater willingness among voters to support an alternative candidate.

However, most respondents still know almost nothing about the elections scheduled for September. The share of such responses has declined slightly since April but remains high.

Low voter awareness benefits United Russia: the fewer people who know about the elections and take part in them, the easier it is for the ruling party to preserve its position.

One of the main tasks for the coming months is therefore to spread information about the upcoming vote and the candidates capable of challenging United Russia.