According to the results of a sociological survey, after the potential opening of borders for all categories of the population, 20% of Ukrainians declared their desire to go abroad for permanent residence. However, the vast majority of citizens, 70%, plan to stay in Ukraine.
This is evidenced by survey data from the Democratic Initiatives Foundation and the Razumkov Center.
The survey was conducted from November 29 to December 14, 2024 and covered 1518 respondents in the territories of Ukraine that are not in the war zone.
At the same time, 70% of Ukrainians want to stay in the country, and 9.3% have not decided on their future. This indicates that the majority of the population wants to leave the country, in particular due to certain socio-economic problems.
Infographic survey of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation
A particularly large proportion of those who want to leave men is 25%, while among women this figure is 17%. Analysts explain that the borders were not closed for women, and many of those who wanted to leave have done so before.
Among the youth (18-29 years), 33% of respondents said they wanted to leave the country, while only 9% of people over 60 have expressed such a desire.
The main reasons for the desire to leave are:
- Lack of opportunities for development (30.5%)
- Threat to health and life through hostilities (28.6%)
- Insufficient social support from the state (28.6%)
- The desire to reunite with relatives who have already left (26.2%)
Infographic survey of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation
According to Polina Bondarenko, analytics of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, this study reflects real sentiment among citizens, although many have already left earlier.
