The myth of return: the prognosis for ukrainian refugees

- Кочубейник, Ольга Миколаївна (orcid.org/0000-0001-6460-8494) (2024) The myth of return: the prognosis for ukrainian refugees Габітус (66). pp. 309-314. ISSN 2663-5208

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Abstract

The main goal of the article is to explore and analyze how return refugee intentions are shaped by ties to safety in the country of protection on the one hand, and ties to safety in the country of origin on the other. A central tenet of the study is that, at the individual level, return intention and return realization are neither related in a predictable way nor independent of each other. In the case of refugees’ returning it is almost a rule of thumb that most refugees initially intend to return but often end up staying in the country of destination. The “myth of return” must be interpreted as collectively held return intentions that remain unfulfilled. It is argued that return refugee intentions are significant themselves because they represent generalized attitudes to the refugee experience and can affect refugees’ behavior and decision to return. In the empirical analysis, we present quantitative survey data (N = 184) collected in a Google form in ten countries of the European Union. We have taken steps to control threats to validity associated with sample bias. The researcher’s focus is on the analysis of connections between a myth of return and a feeling of safety. The feeling of safety was measured twice: 1) in the country of residence at the present moment and 2) in Ukraine (country of origin) after the predicted return. The study also presents a comparison of two groups of refugees, namely those who decided to stay in the country of protection and those who demonstrate “the myth of return”. Results of the comparison study show that there are no significant differences in estimating the feeling of safety after a predicted return. It means we shouldn’t consider refugee return as a one-time and final event. Instead, returnees might need to obtain safety options in different countries simultaneously. The return should be better interpreted as an open-ended process, which often takes place over a longer period and may involve periods of dual residence and considerable movements back and forth.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	intention, myth of return, safety, refugee, country of origin
Subjects:	Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 1 Philosophy. Psychology Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 3 Social Sciences > 304 Social questions. Social practice. Cultural practice. Way of life (Lebensweise) Science and knowledge. Organization. Computer science. Information. Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications > 3 Social Sciences > 314/316 Society > 316 Соціологія
Divisions:	The Institute of Social and Political Psychology > Department of Psychology of Political and Legal Relations
Depositing User:	Ольга Миколаївна Кочубейник
Date Deposited:	04 Feb 2026 08:59
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2026 08:59
URI:	https://lib.iitta.gov.ua/id/eprint/748341

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