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Author: Alla Shorina
Ukrainian immigrants in Denmark who arrived here after 2022 continue to pay attention to events in Ukraine and rely on the content of Ukrainian authors and editorial offices (media, bloggers).
Consumption of current content about Danish society that would facilitate integration is sporadic.
In August and September, Alla Shorina, a Ukrainian researcher with a PhD in social communications, along with the team fromThe European-Ukrainian Hub, surveyed a group of temporarily displaced Ukrainians in Denmark to identify the structure of their information needs.
The survey involved 300 respondents from different parts of the country (mostly residents of Copenhagen and its suburbs). The age group of the participants is 18 or older. Another 30 respondents answered in the form of individual interviews, which ensured the qualitative component of the study.
According to the survey, more than 90% of respondents learn about events in Ukraine and the world by consuming content from Ukrainian authors, which they find directly in online media and social networks. The most popular social networks among the survey participants are Telegram and Facebook, while almost half as many respondents said they learn about events on YouTube and Instagram.
“This sequence is predictable, as the respondents are primarily interested in up-to-date information about the situation in Ukraine: the course of hostilities, attacks on cities, and the state of infrastructure. 87% of the respondents are women, many of whom have husbands and fathers serving in the military and family members in Ukraine. The need for operational content is clear, and the temporarily displaced people find the information they need on Telegram, which is less regulated than, for example, Instagram,” commented the author of the study.
The situation in Ukraine is a priority topic in the information consumption structure of the survey participants. Thus, 20% said they spend more than one hour a day reading content about events in Ukraine; 18% of respondents spend up to one hour a day on the same topic; 24% spend up to 30 minutes; and 23.3% spend up to 15 minutes day.
For information of an integration nature—about events in Denmark and their place of residence (city, municipality)—53.3% of respondents spend up to 15 minutes a day, and 22.6% spend up to 30 minutes a day.
“The intensity and importance of the events in Ukraine are so high that local news and events cannot emotionally engage and hold the attention of the temporarily displaced persons to the same extent. In fact, we have the following effect: the person is in Denmark, but their attention is in Ukraine,” explained Alla Shorina.
According to the survey, respondents also mostly learn about the Kingdom of Denmark's assistance to Ukraine from Ukrainian online media and social media, which disseminate either the content of Ukrainian journalists, comments on their materials, or the content of Ukrainian experts, bloggers, and other creators.
Results of the survey
During the interview, more than a third of respondents said that they found it difficult to answer the question of how journalistic content differs from bloggers' content.
The most important criteria for respondents when choosing information sources are free access, diversity of content, and language comprehensibility.
Regarding the language aspect, 85% of respondents said that they attend language courses provided by the communes (local authorities), but their level of Danish is currently insufficient for consuming information in this language to the extent necessary for integration.
Results of the survey
A significantly higher number of respondents can find out about events in their place of residence in Denmark from English-language sources (publications and social media groups for expats).
Only 53.6% of respondents said that their current level of English is insufficient to easily consume information about important and interesting events in their area of residence.
Results of the survey
In general, 79.3% of respondents noted that they do not have a single source of information that would cover their needs for orientation in the new society, job search, education, understanding of rules and regulations, rights, and social interaction. Temporarily displaced people share information related to the adaptation process in their micro-groups and Ukrainian-language groups on social media, during meetings, and when communicating with the diaspora.
Communication with Danish acquaintances and volunteers is not a reliable way to obtain information of an integrative nature. Only 35.5% of respondents said that they have friends and acquaintances in Denmark from whom they could easily ask for clarification on the meaning and content of public events they observe in their place of residence, as well as about gender and interpersonal communication at work, school, etc.
Results of the survey
To the question, “Do you feel like a part of Danish society?” 46.7% of respondents answered “No,” and 32.5% found it difficult to answer.
Results of the survey
According to Statistics Denmark (dst.dk), 31,400 Ukrainian citizens have immigrated to Denmark since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, and 4,600 have emigrated.
About the research:
Research methods and tools: The specifics of the problem and the research object led to the use of a combined methodology that includes components of both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
The quantitative component was implemented in the form of a probing (exploratory) study to obtain general information about the research problem. To perform the quantitative component of the study, the method of conducting a survey via the Internet was used; the tool was a questionnaire—Google Forms.
The qualitative component summarizes the respondents' subjective perceptions of the state's asylum information policy. The qualitative component was implemented using the method of semi-structured interviews.
Information about the general population (the number of temporarily displaced Ukrainians in Denmark) and the specifics of the probing (exploratory) research determine the use of a targeted sample in the quantitative component of the study. The method of selecting respondents in the qualitative and quantitative components is Snowball Sampling.
The number of respondents surveyed was 300 people aged 18 and older. In the qualitative component of the study, the number of respondents was 30.
Illustrative photo: Getty Images
