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Socio-political attitudes of Ukrainians during the full-scale invasion – the eleventh wave of the survey
In the nearly three years of war, Ukrainian society has changed significantly, as evidenced by the dynamics of surveys. Migration sentiments have stabilized, and the vast majority of citizens have returned to work, although they constantly feel tired, tense, and stressed. To understand the general moods of Ukrainians, Terra U conducted the eleventh wave of the survey as part of the “On a Big Move” project. The main questions included: belief in victory, the duration of the war, trust in state and public institutions, and the transition to the Ukrainian language in everyday life.
Will stay in Ukraine and actively work
Migration is one of the most pressing issues for Ukrainian society. Almost three years of full-scale war have forced many Ukrainians to seek temporary refuge in other countries. At the same time, according to the latest Terra U survey, conducted on December 23-25, 2024, a new wave of migration should not be expected. The majority of respondents (60%) do not plan to leave the territory of Ukraine or move within the country, even if the situation worsens.
This can be partly explained by the recovery of the Ukrainian labor market. According to Terra U surveys, the number of employed Ukrainians has exceeded 65% over the past year, while in March 2022 this figure was 24%.
As of the end of 2024, the largest percentage of employed citizens was in the 25-54 age group (69-72%). 27% of respondents remain unemployed, mostly in the 18-24 (43%) and 55-60 (40%) age groups.
When it comes to the level of wages compared to the pre-war period, more than half (52%) of the surveyed citizens note a decrease in wages, and only a quarter (25%) receive the same amount. At the same time, there is a tendency that the older age group earns less and the younger age group earns more.
Fatigue, tension and high levels of stress continue to characterize the emotional state of society
Ukrainians live and work with a constant high level of stress. However, despite the daily attacks on civilian infrastructure by russia, “fear” has recently been ranked as high as seventh in the spectrum of emotions of our citizens (27%). It is ahead of “fatigue” (52%), “tension” (42%), “irritation” (32%), “hope”, “powerlessness” and “disappointment” (31% each).
Nevertheless, more than half of the respondents still believe in Ukraine’s victory, and one-third hopes for the end of active hostilities in 2025
Currently, 53% of respondents are absolutely or rather confident that Ukraine is able to repel the attack of the russian federation.
Under the influence of the rhetoric of the President-elect of the United States, we have seen a significant increase in expectations of the war ending by the end of 2025. In 2024, 26% of respondents believed that the war would end by the end of this year + the end of 2025, while in the latest wave, the share of respondents expecting the war to end by the end of 2025 increased to 37%.
At the same time, citizens remain relatively optimistic about Ukraine’s future after the war – 42% of respondents are convinced that the country will become stronger.
However, Ukrainians have different views on the post-war restoration of normal everyday life. In particular, 38% of respondents are inclined to believe that it will take more than 5 years, 19% say it will take up to 5 years, 13% – within one to two years, and 15% – up to a year.
The trust top list remains unchanged, the transition to Ukrainian continues
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, volunteer organizations, and the President of Ukraine remain among the top institutions that Ukrainians trust the most.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, there has been a tendency to increase the share of citizens who speak Ukrainian in everyday life. In April 2022, the share of such citizens was 53%, and as of the end of 2024, it reached 69%.
“We are witnessing Ukrainian society trying to adapt to the ongoing challenges of war. The stabilization of migration moods and the gradual return to work of most citizens are indicators of this adaptation, but high levels of stress and fatigue remain key emotional states. The belief in victory remains, but a sharp increase in expectations for the end of the war this year reveals a high level of war fatigue and hope for the strength of partners. These sentiments indicate that society has generally accepted the realities of the marathon of a long war, but reacts sensitively and hopefully to any hints of a possible end to it,” said Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist and founder of Terra U.
The survey report is available for download at the top right of the page.
The survey was conducted by Terra U in cooperation with Gradus Research and consists of eleven waves of research on the attitudes of Ukrainians during the war: I wave – January 1, 2021: Wave I – February 28-March 1, 2022; Wave II – March 8, 2022; Wave III – March 28, 2022; Wave IV – April 20, 2022; Wave V – May 23, 2022; Wave VI – July 28-30, 2022; Wave VII – December 27-30, 2022; Wave VIII – April 24-25, 2023; Wave IX – December 20-23, 2023; Wave X – June 17-21, 2024; Wave XI – December 23-25, 2024. The survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire in the Gradus mobile application. The sample reflects the population structure of cities with more than 50 thousand residents aged 18-60 by gender, age, settlement size, and region, excluding the temporarily occupied territories and territories of active hostilities. Sample size in the eleventh wave of the survey: 1100 respondents.