Ukrainians today are less optimistic for the future, nearly three years since Russia invaded the country, according to a new poll.
The recent Gallup survey asked Ukrainian residents on a scale of one to 10 — where 10 is the best life — to rate their lives today. The result was an average of 6.9.
In a similar poll taken closer to the beginning of the war, the response was a 7.9. In a 2021 survey, before the invasion, respondents ranked hope for the future at a 6.3.
However, while optimism for the future has increased since the start of the war, rankings on life today are consistently low. In 2022, respondents ranked their lives at a 4.6, compared to 5.3 before the war. The same statistic is a 4.7 in the most recent poll.
The poll also found Ukrainians continue to struggle to afford basic needs. Roughly 45 percent of respondents said there have been times in the past 12 months in which they did not have enough money to buy food or provide adequate shelter for themselves or their family.
These rankings vary based on how respondents view the ongoing conflict. Those believing Ukraine should keep fighting until they win the war ranked their future life at a 7.3, compared to 6.5 from those who believe the country should seek negotiation to end the war as soon as possible. Similarly, more of those who believe Ukraine should seek negotiation also struggle with affording basic needs.
Overall, Ukrainians are still feeling elevated negative emotions compared to prewar levels, with 38 percent and 21 percent of respondents saying they experience sadness and anger, respectively, “a lot” during the day.
The Gallup poll was conducted in August via telephone among roughly 1,000 Ukrainians ages 15 and older. The margin of error was 3.6 percentage points to 4.3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
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