Most Ukrainians aged 60 and over don't have a friend

As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. On the average, there are five friends for every citizen of Ukraine today.

Sociologists note that the ratio of Ukrainians having friends to the friendless ones has remained unchanged since 2011. As far as young people under 30 years of age are concerned, 83% of respondents have friends and only 5% say they have no friends. In addition, 81% of those aged 30 have friends (11% are friendless), 75-76% of Ukrainians aged 40 and 50 have friends (16% are friendless). Most of the friendless Ukrainians are in the "60 and over" age group: 64% say they have friends, and 27% are friendless.

According to Ruth Sutherland, the chief executive of the relationship charity Relate, relationships are the asset, which can get us through good times and bad, and it is worrying to think that there are people who feel they have no one they can turn to during life's challenges. Strong relationships are vital for society, so investing in them is crucial.