Most Ukrainians are willing to update their information before the election
Most Ukrainian citizens are willing to update their information to participate in the electoral process. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by OPORA. At the same time, Ukrainians cite digital services and online tools as the most convenient way to update their information.
This was reported by Dmytro Bashtovyi, an analyst at the OPORA Civil Network, during a press conference titled “The New Geography of the Ukrainian Voter and Migration Trends: An Analysis of the Alignment of State Voter Registry Data with Unofficial Migration,” held at Ukrinform.
“Based on a nationwide survey, we can say that 25% of the adult population in Ukraine has experience relocating for a long-term or indefinite period. We did not include emergency relocations in this figure. Regarding the timing of the most recent relocation, 72% of citizens indicated that it occurred after February 24, 2022, and 70% of them stated that it was a forced departure. “These figures confirm that the full-scale invasion was the main driver of the shock migration, when people moved en masse,” he said.
According to Bashtovyi, the geography of displacement is predominantly concentrated on interregional moves: 61% of respondents moved to a neighboring or non-neighboring region. He added that it was important to determine this figure because it places a burden on the State Voter Registry’s accounting system. The analyst noted that 13% have experience moving abroad and subsequently returning to Ukraine.
“We also highlighted the figure that among the entire adult population of Ukraine, those who left the country and returned specifically after the full-scale invasion account for 5%,” he noted.
The nationwide study also aimed to identify discrepancies between registered addresses and actual places of residence, since, as the analyst explained, voters’ polling places are determined according to current procedures based on their registered address, unless the voter changes their voting address on their own. It turned out that about a third—approximately 29% of those surveyed—do not live at their registered address.
“This has a significant impact on the overall voter registration system and the determination of their polling place. In other words, these voters currently do not live where they vote. In terms of age, the 18–35 age group is the most mobile and does not live at their place of registration,” he noted.
The expert added that 81% of people who have moved consider their current place of residence to be their primary one.
In addition, the study showed that most Ukrainians are willing to update their information to participate in elections. Specifically, 58% of respondents are willing to update their information in the State Voter Registry on their own, and if they receive a proactive notification or call to action from the government, this figure rises to 70%. At the same time, citizens cite digital services as the most convenient way to update their information: 77% of respondents chose the “Diya” app. However, awareness of electoral procedures remains limited—only 55% of citizens reported knowing about the existence of the State Voter Registry.
The national survey was conducted via telephone (CATI) using random digit dialing (RDD) from March 21 to April 19, 2026, and covered 2,003 adult respondents. Data collection was carried out by the FAMA agency.
For his part, Andriy Savchuk, a data analyst at the OPORA Civil Network, presented the results of the study “Invisible Migration: Analysis of Mobile Operator Data Against the Background of the Need to Verify Voter Lists.” The study concluded that the state may be significantly underestimating the scale of migration. According to the results, approximately 1.2 million people changed their region of residence, another 640,000 changed their district of residence within their region, and about 5.2 million citizens are abroad.
The study’s authors also identified 482 interregional migration routes. The largest population growth is observed in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, as well as in the Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi regions. Conversely, the largest population decline was recorded in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions. The results showed that at least half of interregional migration is currently not reflected in voter rolls due to official mechanisms for registering place of residence.
At the same time, in the context of a survey of Ukrainians in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, Bashtovyi noted that the Ukrainian diaspora is interested in political processes in Ukraine—74% of respondents stated their willingness to participate in the upcoming elections. However, only 16% are registered with the consulate, which would ensure their inclusion on the voter rolls in accordance with current procedures.
The survey results showed that a significant portion of respondents are unfamiliar with the procedures for voting abroad and changing their voting address. Specifically, 49% of Ukrainians abroad are ready to update their voting address on their own, and after receiving additional information from the government, this figure rises to 61%. At the same time, over 80% use the “Diya” app, which most chose as the most convenient way to update their voting address.
The analyst added that 75% of the Ukrainians surveyed left for Poland, the Czech Republic, or Germany after the full-scale invasion. At the same time, 38% of respondents rate the likelihood of returning as “I will likely return and it is very likely that I will return,” while 48% rate it as “I will probably not return and it is very unlikely that I will return.” Another 14% of respondents are undecided about returning to Ukraine.
The online survey of Ukrainians in three European countries was conducted from April 17 to May 2, 2026. A total of 1,500 people were surveyed—500 respondents in each country. Data collection was carried out by Rating Group.
Summarizing the study, Olga Aivazovska, Chair of the Board of the Civil Network OPORA, noted that experts focused on two aspects — the scale of migration, which is actually greater than indicated in official records, and the extent to which participation in the country’s political life is a priority for citizens who have left, particularly during the war.
“Our main goal is to cross-verify various types of data in advance so that we can truly understand not only the scale of the problem but also how it can be addressed, because there is still time to do so. But as we get closer to the actual election process, this will become impossible. That is why we are calling on the authorities, the government directly, and the Central Election Commission to act proactively, because without creative approaches, unfortunately, there will be no results,” she said.
As reported by Ukrinform, the number of people in Ukraine who believe that elections should be held only after a final peace agreement and the complete end of the war has risen to 69%. In December 2025, that figure was 59%.
Read also:
How many Ukrainians support breaking ties with the Russian Church – a poll.
The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) has stopped publishing the “open” rating of trust in Putin after his approval rating fell to its lowest level since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.
