NUMO commissioned a study titled «Interests and Civic Engagement of the Ukrainian Youth» to gain a better understanding of how young people live today. The survey was conducted by the Kharkiv Institute for Social Research.

This study analyzes the interests, leisure activities, and civic engagement of young people in Ukraine, as well as their interaction with local authorities and participation in youth infrastructure. It focuses on everyday practices, levels of engagement in public life, and the needs of young people in today’s context.

The survey was conducted from December 2025 to January 2026 and included 2,020 respondents aged 18–26 from 12 regions of Ukraine as well as the city of Kyiv. The study covers various macro-regions—Center, North, South, East, and West—and is based on face-to-face interviews.

The results show that young people’s free time is primarily centered around personal communication and leisure. On average, young people have 4.7 hours of free time per day, but only a small proportion regularly engage in socially beneficial activities. At the same time, 39% of respondents did not participate in any civic activities over the past year, and only 16% have experience organizing projects.

Nevertheless, young people remain interested in participation. The most common forms of engagement include volunteering and charitable initiatives supporting the military. Awareness of youth opportunities and infrastructure remains uneven: about one-third of respondents are unaware of youth centers in their communities.

Separate sections of the study focus on youth leisure, the use of public spaces, interaction with local authorities, participation in organizations and informal movements, as well as social media use, education, and migration plans.

The full text of the study is available at the following link.