The research was conducted by the Social Research Center of Sumy State University in September-November 2022. It concerned:

1) Analysis of acts to assess the wartime performance and resilience of local authorities;

2) Polls of households in the Kyiv, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and Dnipropetrovsk communities (10-25 October 2022). The target group is staying and displaced residents of these communities. Totally, 1089 households were polled.

Analysis of acts shows that the government wartime aid is directed to vulnerable individuals. Primarily, that concerns children, displaced and disabled people, soldiers and their families. State institutional tools are developed and used to enhance the wartime performance and resilience of local authorities. It secures the social resilience of a person himself in the community. Besides, the state livelihood provision and common welfare are supported. A greater attention is likely paid to humanitarian aid and basic needs of population. Simultaneously, it is local citizens’ involvement into community decisions (including strategic ones) that is critical.

The war affected the family resilience: there is a rise of vulnerable groups – unemployed persons, minors, elderly and displaced people. For peacetime, minors and displacement were not vulnerability factors. Today, the vulnerability definition approaches require changing. One in two Ukrainian families has unemployed members (49.2%). 46.9% include minors. One third of families (31.5%) have elderly relatives. 27.1% belong to displaced persons (including those moving abroad). 13.4% are disabled. 12.7% are large families (over 5 members). 12.4% are single. About 20% comprise over three vulnerable people.

Because of the full-scale invasion, a third of Ukrainian families parted with relatives. In particular, 37.8% of families have some leaving members. Meanwhile, people tend to return if no combats take place in their communities. All family members have returned to 40% of households. 9% are groups where not all people have come back. In other words, there is a half of reunited families (fully or partially). 32% of leaving individuals are going to return. In contrast to that, 20% are not planning to come back: they will stay either abroad (13%) or in other Ukrainian regions (7%).

Safety and employment opportunities promote the Ukrainians’ return. 38% are ready to come back only in case of complete war end. 27% will be back if local safety is improved partially. 16% would like to find jobs if they return. For 8%, the return choice depends on satisfying own needs (training, treatment, work). Therefore, the social-economic factors influence the return choice to Ukraine or communities as well.

41.9% afford basic needs only. 7.4% cannot afford even basic needs (food, utilities, medicines).

The war affected family finances. Over 30% work part-time or have low salaries: 18.9% – males, 15.3% – females, 15% – other family members. There are lost official and odd jobs (respectively: 10.2% and 4.7% – males; 9.4% and 2.2% – females; 9.1% and 3.9% – other family members). At work, males are reduced more often.

Anxiety or uncertainty are likely to raise tension and stress. 52.95% to 56.04% regard their mental family state as rather satisfactory. However, in contrast to physical features of respondents, we trace much higher rates for people with rather unsatisfactory mental states. That is considered by one in five people.

The highest mutual support and trust concerns family members themselves (67.2%), the Ukrainian Armed Forces (39.5%), friends (31.3%), volunteers and public organizations (22.7%).

Most respondents (59%) find Ukrainian prospects positive: the situation is likely to improve.

Research team:
Olena KUPENKO – DSc in Pedagogy; associate professor of the Department of Psychology, Political Science and Socio-Cultural Technologies; researcher of the Social Research Center of Sumy State University
Andriana KOSTENKO – DSc in Politology; professor; chief of the Social Research Center of Sumy State University
Nina SVITAILO – PhD in Philosophy; associate professor; head of the Department of Psychology, Political Science and Socio-Cultural Technologies; research supervisor of the Social Research Center of Sumy State University
Kristina SAKHNO – researcher of the Social Research Center of Sumy State University
Hanna YEVSIEIEVA – researcher of the Social Research Center of Sumy State University
Inna KRAVCHENKO – trainee researcher of the Social Research Center of Sumy State University

Full report (in Ukrainian):
https://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/bitstream-download/123456789/90540/1/Kostenko_2022_2.pdf