Twenty-one percent of Ukrainians aged 15 and older say they would prefer to migrate to another country permanently if given the chance rather than continue living in their home country, according to Gallup data collected between 2010 and 2012.
The
responses gathered in 12 former Soviet republics vary, from 40 percent in
Armenia to just five percent in Uzbekistan saying they would emigrate if they
were able. In general, the poll shows that those in Eastern Europe are more
likely to make a permanent move than those in Central Asian countries.
A majority
of participants said economic factors are the main reason for their desire to
migrate, when asked by Gallup in 2011 and 2012. Specifically, 52 percent say
they would move to improve their standard of living, while 13 percent say they
would do so for their children’s future and 10 percent to get a better job.
Four percent of respondents or fewer cited alternative reasons, such as to be
closer to family.
Of those
who say their main reason for moving abroad would be for better futures for
their children, 13 percent are Ukrainian. Citizens of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan
and Russia topped that, with 29 percent, 21 percent and 14 percent,
respectively, saying they would leave their home country to make better lives
for their kids.
The
survey’s results are based on aggregated
face-to-face interviews with more than 40,000 adults aged 15 and older from
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Kyiv Post staff writer Christopher J. Miller can be reached at [email protected], or on Twitter at @ChristopherJM.
