Partner references:

Partner organization: Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw in cooperation with Institute for Structural Research

Country of implementation: Poland

Good practice references:

Title of the good practice: The Research Programme “Between Ukraine and Poland”

Service for panel research for the group of Ukrainians in Poland

Implementing organization: Centre of Migration Research (CMR)

Responsible: Centre of Migration Research

Link: https://ukraina2022.idub.uw.edu.pl/

Period of implementation: 08|09|2023 - present

Good practice description:

The Research Program "Between Ukraine and Poland," build knowledge about the situation of Ukrainian migrants in Poland and its changes over time. Within the program, further survey and qualitative research are directed to a group of migrants interested in sharing their experiences and opinions, addressing issues related to daily life in Poland.

The first survey of the program was conducted  in the summer of 2022 (number of participants: over 7,500 individuals from Ukraine residing in Poland). At the beginning of 2023, the second study titled "Competencies and Professional Aspirations of Ukrainian Migrants" was launched, involving online surveys and qualitative interviews.

In the coming months, additional research is planned, covering topics such as relationships with Poles, daily life needs, employment, family life, health, and interactions with Polish institutions.

The research panel is active, and the participant group is constantly refreshed and updated. It is ready for use.

Professional area of reference

The Programme is an initiative of the University of Warsaw, created within the Centre of Excellence in Social Studies – a part of the Excellence Initiative – Research University and run by the CMR, University of Warsaw.

Its main objective is to provide high-quality and reliable data to meet the following characteristics:

• high methodological and ethical standards;
• longitudinal approach (an established survey with successive waves focusing on specific issues);
• inclusiveness (open access to data for UW researchers and UW research teams) and high accessibility for other researchers; iv)
• open structure (with an assumed option to add new quantitative and qualitative modules); and
• international cooperation, particularly in the framework of the Research Network on Ukrainian Migration – a collaborative initiative of four European universities: European University Institute (Migration Policy Centre), Maastricht University, UNU-MERIT University and University of Warsaw (CMR).

Main factors of success

This programme provide good quality, detailed and reliable data on migrants, their situation, their needs and their expectations, especially through the provision of longitudinal data on war-related migration. The program is ongoing and can be use in our project.

The group of Ukrainians in Poland (but in Europe in general) is different now than in 2022. So when we started thinking about programme of support for this group, we should collect deeper information about this group – structure, their needs, and aspirations. On this bassis we can choose the target group and prepare some assumptions about groups which can be a target group and about .

During survey "Competencies and Professional Aspirations of Ukrainian Migrants" they examine the situation of Ukrainian war refugees in Poland with the aim of addressing the following topics and issues:

1. What is the employability of Ukrainian war refugees in Poland and what factors influence the probability of employment?
2. What are the skills profiles of Ukrainian war refugees and the risk of skills mismatch at work in Poland they are exposed to?
3. What is the readiness of Ukrainian war refugees to improve their skills and to participate in the labour market integration measures in Poland, and what are their opinions regarding these measures?
4. What are the migratory and professional plans and aspirations of Ukrainian war refugees?

They used mixed method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative components. These include a Poland-wide online survey (N=1034) and in-depth interviews (N=30) with Ukrainian war refugees conducted in various Polish voivodeships. In this study, not only were standard research tools used, but the participants were also assessed using standardized tests examining individual skills, capabilities in routine and non-routine work, and the level of processing such data among the respondents. The results in the examined population were compared with results of a similar nature in the Polish and Ukrainian populations.

Positive impact of the practice on Ukrainian community and potential impact on the creation of bonds between the host country and Ukraine

The project allows for understanding Ukrainian refugees as a group (demographic structure, place of residence, place of orgin) and also reaching their needs and aspirations. It is a systematic study of the population with a comprehensive research methodology, rather than estimations based on observations or personal identification numbers. It should serve as an input for creating targeted support, considering real needs. It directs the host country towards pro-clients (refugee) behaviors rather than random actions that may seem appropriate to the host country but are entirely ineffective from the perspective of those being supported.

It allows Ukrainians to feel an impact on their life situations. From a psychological perspective, this is a crucial element, especially for war refugees who have lost control over their lives. It helps individuals feel less like guests and more as active participants in the entire process. It supports the individual's engagement in the community.

Input on project

We can use the research results. We can independently or in collaboration with the study owners conduct deeper analyses based on the obtained research results from the two previously conducted questionnaires, specially the study „COMPETENCIES AND PROFESSIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF UKRAINIAN MIGRANTS IN POLAND”.

Establishing cooperation (e.g. CMR as institution at consortium)  can help gather information about the Ukrainian group (using the research panel to ask questions of interest about the needs of the group to which our project is directed). Creating our own research regarding the scope of the future project, both during its development phase (checking if our assumptions and proposals are attractive to the target audience), throughout the process, and at the end - examining its awareness, reception, and effects.

We can also benefit from the organizers' experience in creating a panel and establishing contact with research participants. By conducting our own qualitative research, such as in-depth interviews with researchers about their approach to reaching the target group, concerns related to participating in such initiatives, channels of information exchange, and attitudes towards collaborating with government agencies/private companies.