A duty to defend: survey analysis of citizen wartime engagement in Ukraine

Abstract

When a society comes under attack, what distinguishes citizens who engage in the war effort from those who do not? Moreover, recognising the multi-dimensionality of citizen wartime engagement, what explains variation in participation? Employing five waves of original survey data from Ukraine (2022–2024), we operationalise mode, type and degree of civilian wartime engagement, proposing a theory of a “commitment to the cause” and “duty to defend it”. Regression analyses show that opposing territorial compromise is associated with combatant engagement, whilst support for democracy, and reporting a strong sense of civic duty, are strongly associated with civilian and particularly direct action engagement. Panel analysis suggests that when their civic duty increases citizens are also more likely to begin new action.