In winter, Russian attacks on energy infrastructure once again caused power, heat and water outages in Kyiv. The city experienced periodic prolonged interruptions in utility services, and some residential buildings were left without stable heating. Such conditions create not only domestic difficulties. They affect people’s emotional state, mutual trust and willingness to help others. Researchers analysed how difficult living conditions affect the social cohesion of the capital’s residents.
The study was conducted by analysts from the Kyiv School of Economics. Sociologists studied the results of a survey of Kyiv residents after a massive attack on the energy infrastructure in the winter of 2024, when a significant part of the city faced power and heating outages. The analysis showed that everyday difficulties do affect social attitudes, but do not lead to a sharp breakdown in solidarity between people.
How utility disconnections affect trust between people
The survey found a link between deteriorating living conditions and the level of interpersonal trust. People who experienced prolonged power, water or heat outages were slightly less likely to report high levels of trust in their neighbourhood or city. The decline was statistically significant, but its scale remained small.
Researchers explain this effect by the fact that everyday difficulties create an atmosphere of tension. People spend more time and resources on meeting their basic needs, which increases their sense of vulnerability. In such conditions, caution in interacting with other people may increase. This manifests itself in a slightly lower level of trust in neighbours or acquaintances.
The research data show that such changes do not mean the destruction of social ties. The level of trust decreases only partially and remains relatively stable even during periods of prolonged utility service disruptions.
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Emotions as a factor in trust in authority
Trust in state institutions paints a different picture. Researchers found no direct link between utility service disruptions and a sharp decline in trust in the government. The fact of service disruptions alone did not become the main factor in changing attitudes towards state or municipal institutions.
People’s emotional state has a greater impact on trust in the authorities. Increased levels of anxiety, fear or irritation are accompanied by a decline in trust in the authorities and parliament. This means that infrastructure crises affect political sentiment indirectly, through psychological pressure and stress.
Researchers note that this relationship is typical of periods of crisis. Emotional tension increases criticism of institutions and reduces the sense of stability.
Willingness to help during a crisis
Despite difficult living conditions, most respondents reported that they remained willing to help others. Kyiv residents said they would support friends, relatives or neighbours in various life situations.
A slight decrease in willingness to help was observed only in cases requiring significant time or personal resources. For example, some of the respondents were less willing to spend time helping a stranger. Researchers attribute this to the effect of exhaustion. People who are forced to expend more effort to meet their own basic needs have fewer resources to help others.
The results of the study do not confirm the common assumption that shared difficulties automatically strengthen solidarity in society. Everyday crises may slightly reduce the willingness to help each other, although this effect also remains relatively small.
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How the mechanism of social change works
Analysts also examined the relationship between living conditions, emotional state, and social behaviour. The model showed that utility disruptions and financial difficulties are associated with an increase in negative emotions. Feelings of fear, anxiety, or depression affect the level of trust in other people and state institutions.
At the same time, difficult living conditions can directly affect interpersonal trust. People who have been without electricity or heat for a long time are more likely to exhibit cautious social behaviour.
At the same time, researchers emphasise that the scale of these changes remains limited. Infrastructure attacks cause local damage to social interaction, but do not destroy it completely.
Social cohesion in wartime
The authors of the study pay particular attention to the overall dynamics of trust in Ukrainian society. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the level of solidarity and mutual support rose sharply. Researchers attribute the gradual decline in these indicators to a return to more familiar social levels characteristic of the pre-war period.
This means that a certain decrease in trust does not necessarily indicate a weakening of social stability. It may reflect the normalisation of social attitudes after a sharp surge in unity at the beginning of the war.
The researchers emphasise that attacks on infrastructure do not lead to a large-scale breakdown of social cohesion. Ukrainian society has demonstrated its ability to maintain relatively stable social ties even during prolonged crises.
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