Survey: 48% of Ukrainian children are afraid of loud noises because of the war

Sociologists have released a new survey on the challenges Ukrainian children face during the full-scale war. 

According to the survey conducted by the Sociological Group, "Rating," 62% of surveyed mothers reported that their children had witnessed or experienced events related to Russia's war against Ukraine. 

25% of mothers consider their place of residence unsafe, compared to 21% in February 2023, Rubryka reports.

The survey revealed that 79% of mothers assess their children's physical health as "very good" or "good," while the mental health indicator stands at 73%.

However, many children exhibit fear of loud noises (48%) and irritability (37%).

"They don't show full signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the impact of the war is reflected in various ways," the study notes.

Among the mothers, 38% indicated a need for financial assistance, 14% said they required help with food, and 13% said they needed non-food assistance (clothing, hygiene items, blankets, etc.). 

As for the ability of Ukrainian parents to address issues related to the upbringing and development of children, 54% of surveyed mothers believe it has worsened compared to the times before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

25% believe nothing has changed, while only 15% noted improvement. Those with the worst financial situation were more likely to mention a deterioration.

Mothers from Kyiv spoke most often about these difficulties — 67%. Among mothers with high incomes, a sense of deterioration was recorded in 41%; among low-income mothers, the indicator is 59%, and among those with the lowest income, it's 54%.

Sociologists also evaluated school attendance and the effectiveness of children's education. 94% of mothers reported that schoolchildren attend school either in person or through a hybrid learning format ( compared to 92% in February 2023).

Out of the 6% who do not attend school at all, 40% do not attend due to the local school closing, and 60% do not attend due to concerns about the child's safety. Over 55% of students use a computer or laptop as an additional means of learning.

Sociologists note a significant improvement in school attendance since the previous study in February 2023, with the main reason for absences being children's illnesses.

On average, 3 out of 4 mothers positively assessed the success and quality of the education received.

The Sociological Group "Rating" survey was conducted on behalf of the "Ukraine Children's Action Project" from October 29 to November 2, 2023. Responses were compared with a similar survey conducted in February 2023.

The survey included 2,000 mothers of children aged 3-17 in all regions except the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas, as well as areas where Ukrainian mobile communication was absent at the time of the survey.

The margin of error for the representativeness of the study with a confidence level of 0.95 is no more than 2.2%.

As previously reported, the Russian army has killed 510 children in Ukraine and inflicted injuries on another 1,141 children since starting its invasion in February 2022.

The Russian Federation has also illegally adopted 386 Ukrainian children taken from temporarily occupied territories.

As reported by Rubryka, at a meeting of advisers on national security and foreign policy, Canada proposed creating a coalition of countries to facilitate the return of Russia-abducted Ukrainian children.