71% of Ukrainians feel happy despite full-scale war, but rate falls with age – study
According to sociologists, overall:
Sociologists also pointed to differences between men and women.
According to sociologists, the decline in happiness with age is one of the distinctive features of the Ukrainian results. This differs from the pattern shown by many studies in the US and European countries.
"There, the relationship between subjective well-being and age has a U-shaped pattern: its level decreases until about the age of 45-50 and then rises again," the researchers say.
In May 2026, in Ukraine, 75% of people under 40 described themselves as happy. Among respondents aged 70 and older, the figure was 60%.
KIIS Director General Volodymyr Paniotto, commenting on the findings, said that after the start of the full-scale invasion, sociologists recorded a situation that at first glance seemed contradictory.
"The studies that we and other sociological centers began conducting after the start of the full-scale invasion produced, at first glance, paradoxical results.
Objectively, the situation in the country deteriorated sharply, millions of people lost their usual way of life, income, and housing, and were separated from their families. However, in the first period of the war, many subjective indicators did not worsen, and some even increased. This also applied to the feeling of happiness," he commented on the study's findings.
Background
The survey was conducted from May 7 to June 3, 2026, using telephone interviews. Researchers used a random selection of mobile phone numbers to form the sample. The study involved 2,007 Ukrainians aged 18 and older.
Residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine were not included in the sample. At the same time, the respondents included internally displaced persons who had left the temporarily occupied territories. Sociologists also did not survey citizens who left Ukraine after February 24, 2022.
As Rubryka reported, Finland has been recognized as the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year, according to a survey covering 147 countries. The ranking is based on citizens' average assessment of their own quality of life.
Iceland and Denmark followed Finland, while Sweden and Norway ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Costa Rica took fourth place, becoming the highest-rated country in Latin America. Ukraine ranked 111th.
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8 of September 2026
