A further increase in the desire of external migrants to return home as soon as possible, a slight increase in the number of employed citizens and an improvement in the assessment of the state of mental health of Ukrainians were recorded.
This is evidenced by the results of the new, tenth wave of research into the socio-political and migration moods of Ukrainians during the war, which Gradus Research is conducting with the support of the European Union and in partnership with the Center for Economic Recovery.
More and more Ukrainians, forced by the war to go abroad, are striving to return home. Since mid-September, their number has increased by 16 points and now stands at 78%. This is the highest figure ever recorded since May 2022. And this, despite the fact that 71% of respondents say they have the opportunity to stay abroad.
Accordingly, the number of those who want to stay in a new place of residence has also decreased – so far only 7% of them.
People tend to interpret positive news about the de-occupation of territories as a signal that they can return home. However, the issue of security continues to be both a key driver and a barrier to it. This is because the feeling of security is very subjective, and what looks like “it’s already possible to return” to some, is still a threat to others.
EVGENIA BLIZNYUK
sociologist, founder and director of the research company Gradus Research
The difficult situation with work and income also forces Ukrainians to strive for the return. In general, the level of employment has slightly increased and is 61%. The highest rate of employment is observed among Ukrainians who stayed at home – 66%. As for internally displaced persons and external migrants, among them 55% and 52% are employed, respectively.
The majority of Ukrainians continue to declare a decrease in income since the start of the full-scale invasion (77%), and only 3% indicate that their income has increased. No particular changes in the stability of income among the employed population were recorded – 74% continue to receive a salary. At the same time, almost half (47%) of the employed are not sure whether they will continue to receive it.
More than half of the Ukrainians surveyed are in need of money (66%) and this remains the greatest need, and about a third for access to work (31%). There is a decrease in the need for food, medicines, access to medical care and education.
However, despite the financial difficulties, Ukrainians began to more positively assess the state of their physical and mental health. In the tenth wave of the study, the proportion of those who declare some problems with physical (from 49% to 46%) and mental (from 47% to 44%) health has decreased, and in parallel, the proportion of those who positively assess the state of their mental health is growing (from 38 % to 42%).
The survey was conducted by the research company Gradus Research using a self-filled questionnaire in a mobile application with financial support from the European Union and in partnership with the Center for Economic Recovery. The Gradus online panel displays the population structure of cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants aged 18-60 by gender, age, settlement size and region. Research period: wave 1 – May 20-22, wave 2 – June 3-6, wave 3 – June 17-20, wave 4 – July 1-4, wave 5 – July 15-18, wave 6 – July 29 – August 1, wave 7 – August 12-15, wave 8 – August 25-28, wave 9 – September 9-11, wave 10 – September 23-26. The sample size in wave 10 is 2000 respondents.
