Prague's Charles University, in cooperation with NGO Slovo21, conducted a survey among 1 037 people from Ukraine who have been granted temporary protection in the Czech Republic. It focused on three key topics: employment, knowledge of the Czech language and the issue of returning to Ukraine. Data was collected from July - October 2022. 

Key findings

Family and social ties: most newcomers from Ukraine had contacts in the country before their arrival
Approximately two-thirds of survey respondents have 1-3 close family members in the Czech Republic. Over half of the respondents said they already had contact with someone in the Czech Republic prior to their arrival in the country - for 19% it was family members, for 24% friends and acquaintances from Ukraine, and for 12% friends and acquaintances from the Czech Republic. On the other hand, 46% said they did not know anyone in the Czech Republic before their arrival.

Employment: finding a good job is not easy
67% of respondents said they are not currently working. 44% of these people said they are trying to find employment, while the remaining 23% are not. Approximately half of those employed are working full-time. Overall, 31% of those not currently working in the Czech Republic are actively looking for a job but without success, 14% are looking after family, and 11% will start working only after they have fulfilled certain necessary qualification conditions.

Knowledge of the Czech language: important but limited
According to the study, only 9% people from Ukraine in the Czech Republic can speak and write fluently in Czech, or understand text in everyday situations. 26% said they can put together and understand basic sentences. 43% said they only know a few words and phrases, and 22% cannot speak Czech at all. 34% attend regular Czech language courses; 38% are actively trying to teach themselves. A large majority of respondents agree with the statement that "people coming from Ukraine to the Czech Republic should learn Czech as soon as possible". Perceived barriers to learning the Czech language include a lack of time (22%), a lack of motivation to learn Czech (15%), and a lack of funding for studying (11%). 32% of respondents declared that they experienced no significant barriers to their learning Czech.

Returning to Ukraine: most plan to do so
When asked if they plan to return to Ukraine as soon as possible, the majority gave positive responses: 42% said "definitely yes", while 34% said "rather yes". 21% said "rather no", and 2% "definitely not". Two-thirds agreed with the statement that "my family expects me to re turn to Ukraine". On the other hand, 23% disagreed.