Conflict and social capital: Evidence from the Russian War against Ukraine

• Subjective and objective war experiences differently influence social capital in the contemporary Russian-Ukrainian war. • Spatial analysis of real-time conflict data shows that violent events reduce prosocial behavior and institutional trust. • Stressful and traumatic war experiences increase prosocial behavior but reduce institutional trust. • Recovery policies should prioritize mental health initiatives alongside financial support to strengthen social cohesion and institutional trust. This study investigates the relationship between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and social capital. Using survey data of the Ukrainian population, we apply two measures of conflict exposure: geocoded conflict data and self-reported war experience. We find that objective war events are associated with lower levels of prosocial behavior and institutional trust, while subjective war experiences show a positive correlation with prosociality and a negative correlation with institutional trust. These findings highlight the complex interplay between objective and subjective war measures and underscores the importance of considering both quantitative and qualitative aspects of war experiences in understanding their impact on human behavior.