On February 24, 2022, the lives of Ukrainians were radically changed by russia's full-scale aggression. These two years have seen significant migration shifts and changes at the level of society, as well as the trust of citizens in each other and the actions of the state. The full-scale war has become a catalyst for uniting the nation against an external enemy at all levels. What have these two years of struggle made of Ukrainians, what do they want and fear? Gradus Research conducted a special survey on the 2nd anniversary of the full-scale invasion to analyze these changes.

The regularity of donations is growing

The survey results show an increase in the regularity of donations from citizens. And the share of those who donate from time to time has not changed since February 2023 and remains at 44%.

"Such figures of Ukrainians' involvement in the aid indicate both an increase in the need for such assistance and a stable determination of people to continue fighting. And this is a very important indicator that helps to assess the real situation, without any fatigue or emotional bias," comments Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist, CEO&Founder of Gradus Research.

The readiness to continue the fight is also evidenced by the fact that the employment rate has almost doubled since May 2022 and now stands at 61%. Twice as many respondents also declare confidence in future income stability (48% now vs. 25% in May 2022).

War fatigue and high level of stress

Tension remains a key characteristic of the emotional state of citizens in the second year of the full-scale war. Instead, anger, as the first reaction to russian aggression, is gradually fading into the background.

The level of subjective stress among Ukrainians remains high — 88% now and 88% in April 2023. However, if we look at the dynamics since 2020, it becomes obvious that high levels of stress are a characteristic phenomenon of Ukrainian society, and the war factor has not significantly affected it.

What scares and inspires Ukrainians now?

Fears about the future continue to be dominated by the uncertainty of the duration of the war (63%) and fear for the lives of loved ones (48%). Along with them, about a third of the polled citizens are also worried about possible financial difficulties (36%) and the deterioration of the overall economic situation in the country (34%).

At the same time, Ukrainians are most inspired by the prospect of ending the war in Ukraine in the near future (64%) and improving their material well-being (40%).

More weapons for Ukraine and trust in international partners

Amid fatigue and news from the frontline, as well as delays in assistance from international partners, confidence in Ukraine's ability to repel russia's attack among respondents has slightly decreased and now stands at 61%.

What kind of assistance do Ukrainians expect most from international partners? Offensive (72%) and defensive (70%) weapons, as well as financial assistance (64%). At the same time, the share of citizens who believe that humanitarian aid is needed has almost halved.

As for the attitudes of Ukrainian citizens toward the partner countries, as well as the EU and NATO, they remain mostly positive or improving. Most respondents expressed positive attitudes toward the United Kingdom (68% in February 2024, 65% in March 2022) and the United States (54% in February 2024 and 54% in March 2022).

About two-thirds of respondents (57%) have a positive attitude toward the EU, and their share has remained almost unchanged since March 2022 (61%).

Almost twice as many citizens now express a positive attitude toward NATO as in March 2022 (49% vs. 26%). At the same time, 70% of respondents believe that Ukraine should become a NATO member. This is a significant increase compared to April 2022, when the share of respondents who supported such a decision was 49%.

On the other hand, attitudes toward the UN have deteriorated significantly among Ukrainians. And now more than half of the polled citizens (55%) declare a negative attitude towards this organization, which may result from a number of reputational crises and the UN's neutral position in responding to russian aggression against Ukraine.

The survey was conducted by Gradus Research using a self-administered questionnaire in a mobile application. The Gradus online panel reflects the population structure of cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants aged 18-60 by gender, age, settlement size, and region, excluding temporarily occupied territories and territories of active hostilities. Period of the field: February 14-16, 2024. Sample size: 1212 respondents.