15.05.2014
PEOPLE'S TOP “Favorite films of Ukrainians”
- According to a nationwide study conducted by Rating Group in April 2014 as part of its “People’s TOP” project, which relies exclusively on open-ended questions without any prompted lists, respondents were asked to name their three favorite films. More than 600 different films and television series were mentioned, and only 16% of respondents were unable to name a favorite. The most frequently cited titles included The Magnificent Century: Roxolana, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, The Diamond Arm, The Irony of Fate, Love and Doves, Office Romance, and Only Old Men Are Going to Battle, along with a number of other iconic Soviet and post-Soviet productions.
- Clear regional patterns emerged in cultural preferences. In Western Ukraine, Roxolana, Power, Brigade, The Engagement Ring, and Angelika were mentioned more often than elsewhere. In the Center, respondents more frequently named Gentlemen of Fortune, Cops, Wedding in Malynivka, Twilight, and The Matrix. In the North, favorites included Interns, Operation “Y”, Titanic, The Fifth Element, and Doctor House. In the East, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, Office Romance, Seventeen Moments of Spring, Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession, and The Caucasian Captive were particularly popular. In Donbas, the most frequently mentioned films were The Diamond Arm, Love and Doves, Only Old Men Are Going to Battle, White Sun of the Desert, and Gone with the Wind, while in the South viewers preferred The Irony of Fate, Girls, Spring on Zarechnaya Street, The Three Musketeers, and the series Glukhar.
- Gender and age differences were also pronounced. Men tended to prefer adventure films, comedies, action movies, historical films, and crime dramas such as The Diamond Arm, Only Old Men Are Going to Battle, Operation “Y”, Cops, Brigade, Glukhar, 9th Company, Die Hard, Brother, and Star Wars. Women more often chose melodramas and comedies, including Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, The Irony of Fate, Office Romance, Love and Doves, Girls, Spring on Zarechnaya Street, Titanic, Pretty Woman, as well as the television series Roxolana and Power. Older respondents showed a stronger preference for classic Soviet films and for Roxolana, while younger people were more inclined toward contemporary international cinema such as Titanic, Avatar, Pretty Woman, and Die Hard, and middle-aged respondents gravitated more toward series such as Brigade and Cops.
- Language and place of residence also shaped preferences. Ukrainian-speaking respondents more often named Roxolana, Power, Gentlemen of Fortune, and For Two Hares, while bilingual respondents favored The Irony of Fate, Girls, Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession, Matchmakers, and Twilight. Russian-speaking respondents more frequently chose Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, Office Romance, Love and Doves, and The Caucasian Captive. Urban residents preferred The Irony of Fate, The Diamond Arm, The Caucasian Captive, Office Romance, Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession, Gentlemen of Fortune, Avatar, and Titanic, while rural residents more often cited Roxolana, Power, Spring on Zarechnaya Street, Cops, Matchmakers, The Dawns Here Are Quiet, Die Hard, and 9th Company.
- When classified by country of origin, the majority of favorite films were of Soviet origin, accounting for about 40% of all mentions, while one third were foreign productions, around one fifth were Russian, and only 5% were Ukrainian. Foreign films were most popular in the West and in the Northern and Central regions, while Soviet films dominated in the East, South, and Donbas. Russian films were mentioned least often both in the West and in Donbas. Soviet films were more popular among women, older people, urban residents, and those with lower incomes, while Russian films were more often favored by men. Ukrainian films were more frequently chosen by rural residents and older, lower-income groups, whereas younger, more affluent, Ukrainian-speaking respondents tended to prefer foreign cinema.
- Two thirds of all favorite titles mentioned were feature films and one third were television series. Feature films were especially dominant in Donbas, while series were most popular in the West. Preference for feature films increased with higher levels of education and income and was more common among men and Russian-speaking urban residents, whereas series were more often favored by women, Ukrainian-speaking rural residents, and people with lower incomes.
Methodology
- Survey population: population of Ukraine aged 18 and over
- Sample size: 2,000 respondents
- Method: face-to-face interviews
- Margin of error (95% confidence):\
- near 50%: ≤ 2.2%
- near 30%: ≤ 2%
- near 10%: ≤ 1.3%
- near 5%: ≤ 1%
- Fieldwork period: April 15 – April 25, 2014
