13% of Adult Ukrainians Want to Emigrate

Against the backdrop of other Central and East European countries, Ukraine is in the middle of the list, for those wishing to emigrate are 26% in Yugoslavia, 21% in Rumania, 18% in Croatia, 14% each in Poland and Belarus, 11% in the Czech Republic, 10% in Slovakia, and 8% in Hungary. However, the data varies greatly with age and education level. In Yugoslavia, for example, four-fifths those under thirty with a higher education would like to leave their country for good. A similar tendency also exists in Ukraine.

"These figures are not unexpected for us at all," Olena Malynovska, chief of the emigration and refugees department at the State Committee for Nationalities, told The Day, "The polls we have conducted in the past few years show that 12 to 14% of the Ukrainian population want to emigrate."

We must distinguish, however, between the people who merely dream of moving somewhere, thus getting themselves rid of economic misfortunes, and those who actively and purposefully search for realistic ways to do so. To actually emigrate, one must have real opportunities in addition to the desire. What matters greatly is starting capital, command of a foreign language, and general cultural background, including knowledge of one's chosen country. Also important is the psychological factor: if one sees the example of a neighbor or a relative who moved to a certain country and got settled there, his/her intentions to emigrate may become more purposeful. Of great importance are also the now-popular sojourns abroad to earn money. This allows one to get first-hand information about the country of possible destination. Ukrainians only received this opportunity, even in theory, a few years ago.

What trends will prevail in Ukraine will depend primarily on the economic situation in the country. All Ukrainians, surely, are not going to leave. But if the time allotted for economic reforms is further wasted, this country could lose a great many young, educated, and skilled citizens, who see no future in their homeland.