26.07.2017
Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the creation of a Unified Local Church
- According to a survey conducted by Rating Group in July 2017, 37% of respondents support the creation of a Unified Local Church in Ukraine. 18% oppose this initiative, while 23% say the issue is not important to them and another 23% were undecided.
- Compared with 2014, the share of those who support church unification has changed little, while the number of opponents has fallen by about one and a half times. At the same time, the proportion of those without a clear position has increased.
- Support for the creation of a Unified Local Church is highest among members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (66%) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (61%). In contrast, among parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), opponents (42%) outnumber supporters (23%). At the same time, 36% of UOC-MP followers say they are either indifferent to this issue or have no clear opinion. Among believers of other denominations, those without a defined position also prevail.
- Regional differences are pronounced. Support for unification is highest in Western Ukraine (61%). In the Center, 40% support the idea, 17% oppose it, and 43% have no clear position. In the South, 24% support the creation of a Unified Church, 25% oppose it, 33% are indifferent, and 19% are undecided. In the East, only 11% support the idea, 20% oppose it, 40% could not answer, and 29% said they are indifferent.
- Support for church unification is more common among older respondents, women, people with higher education, and those with higher incomes.
- Among those who support unification, two thirds favor creating a Unified Local Church based on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate. 16% support unification on the basis of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and 7% on the basis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
- The vast majority of UOC-KP and UGCC followers prefer unification around their own Churches. Among UOC-MP parishioners, only slightly more than half support unification around the UOC-MP, while one quarter would prefer unification around the UOC-KP. Among believers who do not identify with any denomination, two thirds favor unification around the UOC-KP.
- Compared with 2014, the share of UOC-KP and UGCC adherents has remained almost unchanged, while the share of UOC-MP followers has declined (from 22% to 17%). At the same time, the proportion of those who consider themselves believers but do not belong to any denomination has increased (from 24% to 31%).
- The UOC-KP is most strongly represented in the West, Center, and South, and least in the East. The UGCC is concentrated primarily in Western Ukraine, while the UOC-MP is strongest in the East.
Methodology
- Audience: adult population of Ukraine aged 18 and over.
- Sample size: 2,000 respondents.
- Sampling: representative by age, gender, region, and type of settlement.
- Method: face-to-face interviews.
- Margin of error: not more than 2.2%.
- Fieldwork dates: July 8–16, 2017.
