How are attitudes toward returning to Ukraine evolving? In June, we presented the results of our research

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, we have been dedicated not only to providing direct aid to refugees but also, in collaboration with researchers from the Faculty of Science at Charles University, to understanding what life in the Czech Republic is actually like for those fleeing the war. We presented the second phase of our research at a public event held on June 17 at the Old Town Hall in Prague. The event was held under the auspices of Alexandra Udženija, Deputy Mayor of Prague.

The event, held in the Architects' Hall, brought together many individuals from across the non-profit sector, state administration, and local government. Specifically, it included representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Refugee Facilities Administration, the Czech Statistical Office, the municipal districts of Prague 3, 4, and 13, and the Prague City Hall. Representatives from organizations such as UNICEF, IOM, WHO, Romodrom, Diakonie ČCE, ADRA, Charita, and Eduzměna were also in attendance. Finally, representatives from the Ukrainian Embassy were present as well. The opening remarks were delivered by Jelena Siladžić, Director of Slovo 21, and Barbara Colzi from UNHCR.

To recap, what exactly is this research about?

It was conducted by Josef Novotný, Anna Levková, and Dušan Drbohlav from the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, in collaboration with Slovo 21, which is responsible for the organization and data collection. This took place in two rounds. In 2022, data was successfully collected from 1,037 Ukrainian refugees, with this first wave funded by the Czech Ministry of the Interior. In 2023, further data collection took place with the support of UNHCR, during which 129 respondents from the original sample were interviewed again to determine how their lives had changed a year after arriving in the Czech Republic. Additionally, responses were obtained from another 221 refugees, and the research was supplemented with a qualitative component.

What interesting findings resonated during the presentation in the hall?

The first was the integration of war refugees into Czech society, specifically the labor market. We all likely assume that learning Czech well is necessary for successful integration. We also suspect that as Ukrainian refugees stay longer in the Czech Republic, their language skills in Czech will improve, which should gradually facilitate integration. However, what the research surprisingly showed us is that a high level of language proficiency alone is unfortunately not enough to find suitable employment. According to the findings, it is also necessary to "reduce other significant barriers (e.g., salary and other inequalities, recognition of qualifications, or a lack of contextually relevant experience)" (Novotný, Levková, Drbohlav 2024).

Another topic discussed was the development of attitudes toward returning to Ukraine. Thanks to the two-round survey in 2022 and 2023, we have the opportunity to track how refugees' preferences regarding returning home have changed. In this regard, the data shows that while in the first round of the survey in 2022, 75% of respondents planned to return, in the second round a year later, that figure had dropped to just 50%.

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We hope that the findings presented will provide useful insights, and we are currently actively working on opportunities to continue further data collection.

Official press release on the research presentation available here.

The complete research report "War Refugees from Ukraine in the Czech Republic (2022–2023): Situation and Subjective Attitudes" is available here.

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