Socio-economic integration of military veterans in Ukraine: Public perceptions and policy challenges

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractMilitary veterans constitute a distinct social group whose socio-economic integration is becoming increasingly urgent due to the growing number of veterans, which today approaches one million individuals. The aim of this study is to assess the problems related to the socio-economic integration of military veterans and to explore potential solutions, taking into account public perceptions and the population’s readiness to support veterans. In 2024 a sociological survey targeted 516 veterans and 850 members of the general population in Ukraine. Data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 20). The findings indicate that, despite certain societal stereotypes, the relationship between these groups is predominantly positive. The mean population assessment of conflict in relations does not exceed 2.35 points (on a five-point scale), while veterans’ assessments do not exceed 2.75 points. Veterans’ relations with state authorities responsible for social guarantees are less favorable, with evaluations ranging from 2.46 to 3.24 points. The most prevalent form of support for veterans is the willingness to provide financial or material assistance (20.6% and 24.4% of respondents, respectively). There are promising conditions for encouraging support for veteran-led businesses: 7.8% of respondents indicated a preference for purchasing goods from such enterprises. Furthermore, 9.1% of respondents expressed support for the development of economic incentives for companies established by veterans or employing veterans. The results provide a basis for improving state programs for veteran integration, suggesting that traditional support measures may be significantly strengthened by policies aimed at increasing veterans’ active participation in economic life.AcknowledgmentsSupported by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine under project No.2021.01/0343 “Ensuring social protection of ATO / JFO participants and social integration of IDP under the condition of increasing threats to social security”.