85% of Ukrainian refugees declare a friendly attitude towards them
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 7.7 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes and move to other regions of the country, according to the UNHCR. And another 7.5 million citizens had to seek refuge in neighboring countries. 85% of surveyed Ukrainian migrants, both external and internal, find the attitude of the local population towards them to be friendly. And this figure has a positive trend. This is evidenced by the second wave of the survey conducted by Gradus Research for the European Commission and in partnership with the Center for Economic Recovery.
These results are in line with the Ipsos Flash Eurobarometer, conducted for the European Commission in 27 EU countries. 89% of Europeans feel sympathy towards Ukrainians and 88% approve welcoming in the EU people fleeing the war.
European analysts tend to attribute this attitude towards Ukrainian refugees to the similarity of cultures and mentality, as well as to the "humanitarian reflex" triggered by the war in Ukraine. Other reasons include the proximity of hostilities and the expectations of Europeans that Ukrainians will return home after the war.
These expectations are quite justified, because the second wave of the Gradus Research survey shows a consistently high desire of Ukrainians to return home. The share of those who relocated abroad and have not yet returned to Ukraine, but wish to return as soon as possible, is 65%. 8% declare their intention to stay at a new place of residence.
"In fact, European integration is now taking place. Before the war, not a lot of our fellow citizens visited European countries. Now a large number of people not only left their homes, but have to stay in European countries and build their lives there, observing European values in everyday life. Despite the fact that the Ukrainians who left recognize a lot of advantages of the Western system, most of them wish to return to Ukraine as soon as possible. As for internal migration, we can already say that it's leveling regional differences and promoting even greater unity of Ukrainian society, " comments Evgeniya Blyznyuk, CEO&Founder of Gradus Research.
It should be noted that the vast majority of respondents (60%) continue to live in their own homes. Also in the TOP places of residence — rented accommodation (16%) and relatives/friends' housing (13%).
However, friendly attitude and being outside the war zone still do not allow Ukrainians to feel safe. In general, only about a third of respondents (30%) feel safe most of the time or constantly. The largest share of respondents state that they feel unsafe from time to time (46%). The respondents who moved abroad have the greatest sense of security — more than half (55%). Among the group of internally displaced persons, the share of those who feel safe is 25%, and compared to the previous wave of the survey, it decreased by 8 points.
The survey was conducted by Gradus Research company for the European Commission and in partnership with the Center for Economic Recovery. Respondents — 2045 owners of smartphones aged 18-60 living in cities of 50,000+. Method — self-administrated questionnaire in the mobile application. The online panel Gradus represents the population structure of cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants aged 18-60 by gender, age, size of the settlement and region. Field period of the survey: 1st wave — May 20 – May 22, 2nd wave — June 3 – June 6 2022.
