92% of Ukrainians see human life as highest value
The vast majority of Ukrainians (92%) consider human life to be the highest value.
That’s according to the tenth wave of the national survey of the socio-political attitudes of Ukrainians during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, run by Gradus Research with the support of the European Union and in partnership with the Center for Economic Recovery, Ukrinform reports.
Freedom and human rights (89%), mutual assistance (86%), mutual trust (82%), and social harmony (71%) are also at the top of the answers to the question of which the highest value is. All these data appear to be a logical confirmation of modern trends prevailing in Ukrainian society, which were previously studied by Gradus Research, in particular, the growth of mutual trust and altruism, the increase in the importance of public interests compared to one's own, etc. After all, these are basic things for a modern developed society, while for the aggressor state, neither a human life nor the other aforementioned democratic principles carry any value.
"In difficult times in society, the importance of having ‘healthy’ moral values and worldview increases. The war, bearing losses and suffering, contributes to the fact that Ukrainians began to be more acutely aware of the value of human life, humanistic principles, and constructive relationships. Did the war make us like this? No, not at all. All this did not appear yesterday or after February 24 – Ukrainians had lived with a similar perception of the world before, it's just that it has crystallized now," believes Yevhenia Blyzniuk, sociologist, founder and director of Gradus Research.
As for the value of following the management's orders, there is no similar consensus here — 37% agree with the thesis, 41% disagree, and another 22% could not give an unequivocal answer. Interestingly, the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups have the highest scores as to the value of following management's orders (45% and 47%, respectively), while those 45+ are more likely to disagree with the assumption.
Ukrainian society has well-developed horizontal ties, initiative, the ability to negotiate among themselves, and make decisions independently, while the war only strengthened these phenomena. Therefore, the vertical hierarchy and values of unquestioning subordination find less response among Ukrainians, according to Gradus Research.
It is important that the key values of a democratic society were also appreciated widely. More than 90% of Ukrainians noted that it was important for them to respect human rights and human dignity, the principles of freedom and equality between people. 85% also chose the principles of democracy and 80% mentioned the rule of law. The share of those who disagree with the importance of these principles does not exceed 4%.
The survey was run by Gradus Research trough an app questionnaire. The Gradus online panel displays the population structure of cities with more than 50,000 residents aged 18-60 by gender, age, settlement size, and region. Field period: September 23-26, 2022, sample size: 2,000 respondents.