Ukraine, War and Resistance: Reshaping Social Cohesion

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the social cohesion shifts that have occurred in Ukrainian society since 24th February 2022. Drawing on the case study method, the research juxtaposes pre-war surveys with data collected in Ukraine during March-December 2022. The study confirms the comprehensive strengthening of social cohesion at both attitudinal and behavioral levels accompanied by unprecedently high institutional trust, civic identity, and mass-spread volunteering. The article demonstrates that the value of Ukraine’s independence became a crucial point for national consolidation under war conditions. The increased mutual support, emotional connectedness, and enhanced horizontal bonds point at the growth of cohesion. It is proposed to treat the practices of resistance, citizens’ expectations about the state’s future, their feelings associated with this the state and their belief in victory as additional indicators of social cohesion measurement during wartime. Alongside the positive trends, the social cohesion risk zones are identified, too, and countermeasures discussed.