Introduction
As Ukraine is approaching the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2025, cohesion and unity of Ukrainian society remain critical to its ongoing fight and post-war recovery. Social cohesion, defined broadly as the strength of relationships and solidarity among different groups and between citizens and institutions, is a fundamental element of the stability and prosperity of nations. In times of crisis, its importance becomes even more pronounced, as it fosters unity, trust and collective response from all layers of society and from different actors — individuals, communities and authorities. Studying social cohesion in the context of Ukraine’s ongoing war is vital, as it helps to understand how different segments of the population are coping, as well as how intergroup relations are evolving, where vulnerabilities are arising, and how resilience is being strengthened.
This report offers a detailed analysis of the current state of social cohesion in Ukraine, shedding light on how Ukrainians are navigating the complex social, political, and economic challenges posed by the Russian invasion. More specifically, the report addresses the following questions: what are the current levels of social cohesion in Ukraine, and how have these levels evolved in comparison to the pre-full-scale invasion1 situation, as well as in comparison with the immediate aftermath of the invasion?
This report presents the key findings from the reSCORE Ukraine 2024 survey and provides a comprehensive picture of how Ukrainian society is experiencing and responding to the ongoing war. The report draws on the Social Cohesion and Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction Index (reSCORE2 ), an innovative analytical tool designed to measure and track different dimensions and elements of social cohesion in a comprehensive and sophisticated way. More specifically, it uses a conceptual framework comprising eight indicators that assess societal dynamics across people-to-state and people-to-people relations. Importantly, it highlights trends in social cohesion over time by comparing the 2024 data with previous SCORE reports from 2023 and 2021. The strength of this approach lies in the ability to examine both pre- and postinvasion data, offering deeper insights into the impact of Russian aggression on social dynamics in Ukraine. It also captures oblast-level trends and breaks down findings by demographic groups (e.g., gender, age, urbanity, education), providing a detailed examination of the varying experiences and perceptions across different segments of the population.
The survey was conducted using face-to-face, structured, quantitative interviews. Data collection was carried out by Metrica, a Kyiv-based company specializing in opinion research, and took place from May 30, 2024, to September 5, 2024, with a total of 7,758 respondents interviewed across the territories controlled by the Government of Ukraine at the time of surveying. reSCORE 2024 also includes panel data, consisting of 646 citizens who were surveyed in both 2023 and 2024.
The report opens by outlining how reSCORE 2024 captures the complex phenomenon of social cohesion, setting the stage with a detailed analysis of each indicator. It then provides a more nuanced perspective, examining national and oblast-level trends over different timepoints. Finally, the report utilises longitudinal panel sample to explore the underlying dynamics of change, with a focus on the Authorities care indicator, to better understand the factors behind its significant decrease between 2023 and 2024. It also includes a methodology section at the end.