63% of Ukrainians ready to endure war as long as necessary – survey

This is the first time sociologists have observed a decline in the percentage of people willing to endure war for as long as needed. However, most Ukrainian citizens (63%) still respond positively.

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey data evidence this.

According to the survey, during September–October of 2024:

• 15% of respondents stated their willingness to endure a war for several months,

• while 4% said they were prepared to endure it for half a year.

Compared to February, the percentage of people discussing a longer timeframe increased, with 69% of Ukrainians mentioning a period of one year, up from 3% to 6%.

The situation remained relatively unchanged from the beginning of the invasion to February 2024. In surveys, approximately 71-73% consistently expressed their willingness to endure the war for however long it took (with an additional 2-3% saying 1 year). Meanwhile, 18-21% spoke of a shorter amount of time they could endure (ranging from several months to a year and a half) during that same time frame.

For the first time, sociologists recorded a decrease in the share of those who are ready to endure as long as necessary between February and October 2024.

As Anton Hrushetskyi, deputy director of KIIS, noted:

"Despite all the difficulties and objective grounds for an uncertain future, despite growing fatigue, most Ukrainians are determined to fight as long as necessary."

The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted its own survey from September 20 to October 3, 2024, among 2,004 respondents. The sample did not include residents of territories that are temporarily not controlled by the authorities of Ukraine.

For reference:

According to a poll conducted by the Razumkov Center in September 2024, 83% of those surveyed were confident that Ukraine would emerge victorious in the war against Russia.

Out of the respondents who have faith in achieving victory, 39% anticipate it to happen within the next 1-2 years, 19.5% expect it to occur by the end of this year, 15% estimate it to take 3-5 years, 5% project it to take longer than 5 years, and 2% believe it will only happen with great difficulty within their lifetime.

The most hopeful predictions for victory were in February-March 2023 – at that time, 50% were confident that victory would be achieved before the end of 2023.

According to reports, the number of Ukrainians willing to make territorial concessions to achieve peace quickly has risen since last May. However, they remain a minority among those surveyed.

Currently, about sixty percent of Ukrainian citizens believe that the Russian Federation is attempting to destroy the Ukrainian nation and potentially carry out a physical genocide of the majority of the population.

Moreover, most Ukrainians (69%) believe that the head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, should serve as president until the end of martial law.