In Odesa, 67.7% of IDPs surveyed by sociology students do not want to evacuate abroad – study

A total of 1581 people took part in the survey, said Tamara Mosiychuk, associate professor in the Odesa national university, at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Odesa. 

This was an internship for bachelor’s and master’s students of the faculty of international relations, political science and sociology of the ONU. Volunteers of the “Side by Side” foundation helped students to spread the information among IDPs.

The survey was conducted online, via messengers or other means of electronic communication, the researcher noted. She also noted that this is not a representative survey. However, according to the researcher, the study is consistent with the trends and needs of internally displaced persons.

95% are women. Of these, 40.6% are aged 30-39. Almost 52% are currently unemployed. 18% are currently looking for a job. 35% have one dependent child.

“67.7% of IDPs surveyed by the “Side by Side” foundation and Odesa National University do not want to evacuate abroad. 10% do not have information about the possibility of evacuation. 14.1% want to evacuate, but have doubts about it,” said Ms. Moseychuk.

According to Oleh Mykhailyk, chairman of the board of “Plich-o-plich” charity (Side by Side), chairman of the board of the charitable foundation “Side by Side”, the majority of respondents, 70.4%, plan to return home after the end of active hostilities.

The vast majority, 70.1%, named constant shelling as the main reason for leaving. Another important reason for leaving their homes was the risk of losing their lives (66.4%), and 58.4% – to protect their children, the researcher noted.

The main difficulty for the vast majority of IDPs, 71.2%, is the lack of free or cheap housing. 62.7% mentioned psychological problems as a difficulty. Almost 70% said that food is the biggest help they need. 73.1% are satisfied with the assistance provided by the “Side by Side” foundation. 60.3% also received financial assistance from charitable foundations and organizations, said Tamara Moseychuk. Almost 63% of respondents trust charitable organizations the most. More than half, 52.3%, believe it is necessary to create a single center for IDPs.

“Almost 54% of the respondents are not satisfied with the level of assistance from the local and central councils. More than 90% of people said that charitable organizations provided the greatest assistance to IDPs,” – the researcher added.

Almost 80% of the respondents lack their own housing to feel happy.

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