Survey Reveals a Quarter of Ukrainians in the EU Have No Plans to Return Home
According to the ifo Institute, there has been a decrease in the number of displaced Ukrainians planning to return home. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
An increasing number of Ukrainians in the EU are planning to settle abroad after the conflict with Russia concludes, according to a recent survey conducted by the ifo Institute. The study, which began in June 2022 in partnership with researcher Verian, has tracked participants over two years regarding their location and return intentions.
The findings reveal that nearly 25% of the refugees aim to reside outside of Ukraine in the long term, with another 25% still undecided. Initially, shortly after fleeing their country, only 10% indicated plans for long-term settlement outside Ukraine. However, this number has steadily increased, averaging a rise of 1.6 percentage points every 100 days, while the return rate has decreased by 2.7 percentage points over the same period.
At the start, almost 60% of the refugees expressed a desire to return to Ukraine as soon as it was safe. This figure has significantly diminished over time, dropping by an average of 4.7 percentage points every 100 days. "Around 35% of Ukrainian refugees want to return to Ukraine as soon as it is safe there again,” noted Panu Poutvaara, Director of the ifo Center for Migration Research. He added that only 4% plan to return soon, regardless of the safety situation, while nearly 11% of refugees have already made the journey back.
Yvonne Giesing, a migration researcher at ifo, remarked, "Our results show that, although many of the Ukrainians who have fled still want to return to their country, the course of the war is a decisive factor for the vast majority. The longer the conflict lasts, the more there are who can imagine a future outside Ukraine." The study also highlighted factors such as widespread corruption and low trust in the judiciary as reasons for Ukrainians' reluctance to return home.
Currently, more than four million Ukrainians are under temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat. This measure was activated unanimously by the European Council in March 2022 amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic are reported to be hosting the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees within the EU. Recently, Poland, a significant supporter of Ukraine during the war, reduced benefit payouts for nearly one million Ukrainian refugees, prompting backlash from taxpayers who have expressed discontent at seeing some refugees in luxury situations, as noted by Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
A new survey from the Center for Public Opinion Research showed that the support among Poles for accepting Ukrainian refugees has declined to its lowest level since the onset of the conflict. In Germany, the mayor of Bad Griesbach has refused to accept additional Ukrainian refugees, highlighting the strain on local resources.
In response to the ongoing situation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged EU member states to make urgent decisions regarding the millions of Ukrainian refugees, pointing to the limits of the bloc’s resources.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
The findings reveal that nearly 25% of the refugees aim to reside outside of Ukraine in the long term, with another 25% still undecided. Initially, shortly after fleeing their country, only 10% indicated plans for long-term settlement outside Ukraine. However, this number has steadily increased, averaging a rise of 1.6 percentage points every 100 days, while the return rate has decreased by 2.7 percentage points over the same period.
At the start, almost 60% of the refugees expressed a desire to return to Ukraine as soon as it was safe. This figure has significantly diminished over time, dropping by an average of 4.7 percentage points every 100 days. "Around 35% of Ukrainian refugees want to return to Ukraine as soon as it is safe there again,” noted Panu Poutvaara, Director of the ifo Center for Migration Research. He added that only 4% plan to return soon, regardless of the safety situation, while nearly 11% of refugees have already made the journey back.
Yvonne Giesing, a migration researcher at ifo, remarked, "Our results show that, although many of the Ukrainians who have fled still want to return to their country, the course of the war is a decisive factor for the vast majority. The longer the conflict lasts, the more there are who can imagine a future outside Ukraine." The study also highlighted factors such as widespread corruption and low trust in the judiciary as reasons for Ukrainians' reluctance to return home.
Currently, more than four million Ukrainians are under temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat. This measure was activated unanimously by the European Council in March 2022 amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic are reported to be hosting the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees within the EU. Recently, Poland, a significant supporter of Ukraine during the war, reduced benefit payouts for nearly one million Ukrainian refugees, prompting backlash from taxpayers who have expressed discontent at seeing some refugees in luxury situations, as noted by Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
A new survey from the Center for Public Opinion Research showed that the support among Poles for accepting Ukrainian refugees has declined to its lowest level since the onset of the conflict. In Germany, the mayor of Bad Griesbach has refused to accept additional Ukrainian refugees, highlighting the strain on local resources.
In response to the ongoing situation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged EU member states to make urgent decisions regarding the millions of Ukrainian refugees, pointing to the limits of the bloc’s resources.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
