“Back in the USSR?”: the opinions of Ukrainians and Russians

Press

18.01.2011

“Back in the USSR?”: the opinions of Ukrainians and Russians

According to a survey conducted by the Rating Group (Ukraine) in December 2010, about 46% of Ukrainians regret the collapse of the Soviet Union. In turn, according to a survey conducted by the Levada Center (Russia) in November 2010, an even larger share of Russians – 56% – regret the breakup of the USSR. At the same time, 36% of Ukrainians and 30% of Russians do not regret it, while 18% of Ukrainians and 16% of Russians were unable to answer the question.
In both Ukraine and Russia, a clear age pattern is observed: the younger the respondents, the less likely they are to regret the collapse of the USSR. In Ukraine, 19% of young people and 69% of pensioners regret the Soviet Union; in Russia the corresponding figures are 17% and 83%.
In Ukraine, additional demographic patterns are also evident. Regionally, the highest levels of regret are found in Donbas (65%), the South (58%), and the East (55%), while the lowest level is in Western Ukraine (18%). Nostalgia for the USSR is more common among women (49%) than men (42%), among urban residents (48%) than rural residents (40%), and among believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Moscow Patriarchate (59%) and atheists (47%) than among believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate (41%) and Greek Catholics (17%). Regret is also more prevalent among respondents whose native language is Russian (57%) than among those whose native language is Ukrainian (37%) or both languages (49%), and among ethnic Russians (69%) compared to ethnic Ukrainians (43%). In addition, the higher the level of education, the less likely respondents are to regret the collapse of the Soviet Union.
A majority of respondents in Russia (53%) and a large share in Ukraine (41%) believe that the collapse of the Soviet Union could have been avoided. By contrast, 32% of Russians and 34% of Ukrainians are convinced that the breakup of the state was inevitable. Notably, the proportion of respondents who could not answer this question is much higher in Ukraine (25%) than in Russia (15%), which may indicate a lower level of public discussion and different approaches to history in the two countries. Moreover, about half of Ukrainians aged 18–29 were unable to answer the question of whether the collapse of the Soviet Union was inevitable or could have been avoided.
It is also noteworthy that around 70% of respondents who regret the collapse of the USSR believe it could have been avoided, whereas the majority of those who do not regret it (62%) believe that the breakup was inevitable.
When asked what form of relations between the former Soviet republics they would personally support, Russians most often chose the option of several republics uniting into closer unions, whereas among Ukrainians the most popular model was the independent existence of all republics. Specifically, 26% of Russians and only 18% of Ukrainians support the unification of several republics into closer unions. The restoration of the USSR in its former form is supported by 15% of both Ukrainians and Russians. A closer union of all former Soviet republics along the lines of the European Union is supported by 19% of Russians and 15% of Ukrainians. The preservation of the CIS in its current form is supported by 17% of Russians and only 10% of Ukrainians. The independent existence of all republics is supported by 27% of Ukrainians and only 13% of Russians. Another 12% of Russians and 15% of Ukrainians were unable to give an answer.
Support for restoring the USSR is strongest in Donbas (25%) and Eastern Ukraine (26%). Support for uniting several republics into closer unions is highest in the South (35%). Support for a closer union of all former Soviet republics along the lines of the European Union is highest in the North (21%). Support for the independent existence of all republics is strongest in the West (59%), the Center (31%), and the North (30%).
According to the Ukrainian survey, the younger respondents are and the higher their level of education, the more likely they are to support the independent existence of all former Soviet republics. Respondents who regret the collapse of the Soviet Union most strongly support the restoration of the USSR in its former form (31%), the unification of several republics into closer unions (28%), and a closer union of all former Soviet republics along the lines of the European Union (18%). In contrast, the majority of those who do not regret the Soviet Union (53%) believe that the most appropriate option is the independent existence of all former republics.
This release is based on the results of surveys conducted by the Rating Sociological Group (Ukraine) in December 2010 (2,000 respondents, margin of error not exceeding 3%) and by the Levada Center (Russia) in November 2010 (1,593 respondents, margin of error not exceeding 3.4%).

Methodology