Author(s) / Editor(s):
Zhuleniova Oksana Vadymivna, Candidate of Sociological Sciences, Head of the Department of the Methodology and Methods of Sociology
email: Oksana.Zhuleneva@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2762-7092
Year: 2025
Pages: 297-320
Publication language: Ukrainian
Publisher: Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Type of Publication: chapter in edited volume
Publication Place: Kyiv
DOI: TBD
This chapter examines volunteering and charity in Ukraine as key factors of social cohesion under the conditions of war. Drawing on sociological surveys conducted between 2014 and 2025, the study analyzes the dynamics, scale, and determinants of volunteer and charitable activities in Ukrainian society during the Russian–Ukrainian war. Particular attention is paid to the period following the full-scale invasion in 2022, when civic engagement intensified significantly.
The chapter conceptualizes volunteering and charity as forms of prosocial civic activity that contribute not only to material support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and civilians affected by the war, but also to the consolidation of society around shared values, such as solidarity, responsibility, democracy, and national independence. Using empirical data from the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, the Razumkov Centre, and other sources, the analysis identifies socio-demographic, economic, and value-based factors associated with higher levels of participation in volunteering and charitable practices.
The findings demonstrate that volunteer and charitable engagement is more common among individuals with higher levels of education and financial capacity, as well as among those who strongly support democratic development, perceive responsibility for the country’s future, and express confidence in Ukraine’s victory. Moreover, active involvement in volunteering correlates with higher levels of social well-being, life satisfaction, and attachment to local communities.
The chapter concludes that volunteering and charity function as important mechanisms of social cohesion, civic resilience, and nonviolent resistance, reinforcing Ukraine’s capacity to withstand prolonged wartime challenges and contributing to the formation of a strong civil society both during and beyond the war.
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