Kherson: what has changed in 2023–2024. Online Sociological Survey Report

25 Жовтня 2024

Research objective: зto find out the dynamics of the attitude of the Kherson residents toward the community’s pressing issues.

Sample size: 400 respondents.

Field stage period: September 10 – 20, 2024.

Research client: Community Foundation of Kherson “Zakhyst”.

Key outputs

1. From July 2023 to September 2024, issues such as employment difficulties (56%), unfair distribution of humanitarian aid (45%), and stray animals (43%) are the community’s three most pressing ones (excluding Russian bombing).

2. Kherson residents regularly incur damage from bombings. Still, if the property damage dynamics over the past three months are within the reference accuracy (there are no undamaged buildings in hazardous districts), the number of injured and dead members of Kherson residents’ families has tripled over the year.

3. Kherson residents’ emotional and mental states are deteriorating. In September 2024, the lowest related assessment (1 on a 5-point scale) was reported by 23% of respondents, compared to 8% in November 2023. The economic status of the Kherson residents has also deteriorated to a great extent. In December, 54% claimed that their income had decreased. By
September 2024, already 73% reported the same.

4. From July 2024 to September 2024, the highest level of trust in Kherson is in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, rescuers, and volunteers – more than 90% of Kherson residents trust them (that said, 75% of residents are involved in charity themselves). In September 2024, trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine was again at the 2023 level (with a 5% decline observed in June). Trust in Kherson utility workers (81%) and the police (56%) is also high.

5. The most complaints about municipal services are usually related to street cleaning, maintenance of multi apartment buildings and adjacent territories of condominiums, and the functioning of elevators. Still, there are a few complaints
related to the provision of water, electricity, and gas to residents.

6. The assessment of Kherson entrepreneurs also increased. In February 2024, 35% of respondents called their activities effective, and 49% in September.

7. Three priorities in the community recovery have remained unchanged: rebuilding the destroyed property (57% in September 2023 and 2024), identifying and bringing traitors and collaborators to justice (53% in September 2023 and 58% in September 2024), and encouraging people to return to the community (from 36% in September 2023 to 42% in September 2024). That said, the number of Kherson residents who are going to return to their communities is
constantly decreasing – from 29% in July 2023 to 10% in September 2024.

8. In September, when speaking about the city’s future and answering the question Do you agree that the post war recovered Kherson would look the same as it did before the war?”, 26% of respondents answered, No, I disagree. In October 2023, there were 35% of them.

You can read the full report by downloading it or read it in Ukrainian.

This research was conducted by the Zakhyst Kherson Community Foundation Charitable Organization as a part of its project implemented under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The consents of this research are the sole responsibility of Pact and its implementing partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government/

Reproducing and using any part of this product in any format, including graphic and electronic, copying or any other usage is suitable to reference to the sourc/