Kyiv, 5 December 2024 – The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have presented the findings of a study titled "The Impact of War on Youth in Ukraine." The study aims to determine the rate of change of perceptions of challenges faced by young people in the third year of the full-scale invasion, as well as their views on their involvement in recovery processes. 

The results indicate that the severity of losses caused by the war has intensified. The percentage of individuals reporting a breakdown in relationships with friends or family has increased from 18% to 27%, reflecting significant destruction of social connections. 

Two-and-a-half years after the onset of the full-scale invasion, 42% of young people in Ukraine are primarily concerned about health issues – both their own and those of their loved ones. 

Concern about mental health is rising among the young population in Ukraine every year: in 2024, the number of young people worried about this issue reached 25% (compared to 22% in 2023 and 11% in 2021). 

What is more, since 2023, the number of individuals acknowledging the need for psychological support has risen from 12% to 18%. 

There is also a growing willingness to seek free psychological assistance: now, 34% of young people would seek it, compared to 28% in 2023. 

However, the willingness of young people to participate in recovery processes within their communities declined, from 72% in 2023 to 59% in 2024. Nevertheless, despite all challenges, volunteer activity among young people increased from 30% in 2023 to 34% in 2024.  

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Andrii Chesnokov said the study's results are key to understanding how the war has changed young people and what needs to be addressed to support them. “The study serves as a roadmap highlighting that today's young people are a driving force for change and see their role in the nation's recovery,” Chesnokov said. 

Christoforos Politis, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Ukraine, highlighted the importance of the study for developing effective youth policies that ensure youth engagement. 

“Gathering reliable data is essential for crafting effective youth policy that meets the needs of young people in focus today,” Politis said. “Ensuring young people are at the forefront of the recovery process is a shared responsibility uniting international partners, the Ukrainian government, and civil society organizations. Young people should not only participate but lead the change, chalengng the status quo and offering new, innovative perspectives for Ukraine's recovery and greater resilience.” 

It is interesting to note that alongside the basic aspirations for family happiness (67%) and health (60%), the relevance of higher-level needs is growing among young people – such as freedom and independence (up from 52% to 56%) and self-realization (up from 49% to 52%). 

Julie Arnfred Bojesen, Director of the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House in Kyiv, emphasized the importance of supporting Ukrainian youth as part of state resilience. 

“Supporting Ukrainian young people amid the full-scale invasion is crucial because they are a component that can secure the future of a free and democratic Ukraine – and Europe,” Bojesen said. “I’m pleased that Denmark and many other countries support Ukrainian young people and their development opportunities despite the challenges.” 

Overall, despite deteriorating public sentiment both in Ukraine and abroad, Ukrainian young people remain united around shared values: national and civic identity attributes, and European integration. 

This research was the latest part of an annual initiative started by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2015 to study the situation of young people.  

The sample of young people in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government included 2,000 respondents aged 14 to 34. Additionally, 436 young people aged 14 to 34 who fled abroad due to the full-scale invasion were surveyed. 

You can view the research presentation and discussion here. 

Download the research via the link: https://www.undp.org/uk/ukraine/publications/vplyv-viyny-na-molod-v-ukrayini-2024   

Background:  

The study was prepared by the research agency Info Sapiens, initiated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, with technical and organizational support from UNDP projects "EU4Recovery – Empowering Communities in Ukraine" (EU4Recovery) and " Civil Society and Youth Support," implemented with financial support from the European Union and the Government of Denmark.  

The presentation of the research was supported by the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House. 

Media Inquiries: Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications, UNDP in Ukraine, yuliia.samus@undp.org