VOLODYMYR KULYK: FINALLY ALMOST EVERYONE BECAME UKRAINIAN

The Chief Researcher at the Department of Political Culture and Ideology of our Institute, Doctor of Political Sciences, Volodymyr Kulyk, ordered from KIIS a survey on language and identity with the help of a grant from the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies.

According to Volodymyr Kulyk, the most important change compared to the 2017 survey is a sharp increase in the share of respondents who (say that) speak mainly Ukrainian in everyday life, and a corresponding decrease in the share of Russian language speakers. In December 2022, 41% of respondents said that they communicate only in Ukrainian, another 17% – “in most situations” in Ukrainian, on the other hand, 6% speak only Russian, and mainly Russian – 9% (another 24% said that they use both languages “equally”).

Compared to 2017, the share of full and predominant Ukrainian speakers increased by 8%, and the share of Russian speakers decreased by as much as 11%. The regional distribution is even more impressive: even in the East and South, according to the answers, Ukrainian speakers are now no less than Russian speakers (29% versus 27%).

As for identity, the results of the survey show that compared to 2017 (then, of course, respondents were asked who they “consider themselves to be by nationality”), the share of Ukrainian nationality increased by 7%, while the share of Russian nationality decreased by 5%, and the share of dual nationality decreased by 2%. Now, even in the South and East, as many as 90% associate themselves with Ukrainian nationality, while five years ago it was only 64%. Judging by these data, Ukraine has, in fact, ceased to be a multi-ethnic state, because untitled nationalities make up only a few percent of the population. Accordingly, ethnopolitics will not play a significant role in the national political process, although it will remain a factor in some regions and in Ukraine’s relations with international organizations that care about minority rights.

The survey was conducted from December 4 to 27, 2022, and 2,005 respondents who lived in Ukraine at that time (within the boundaries controlled by the Ukrainian authorities until February 24, 2022) were interviewed by telephone interviews using a computer. The maximum error of the survey results is 2.4%.

Information about our colleague’s research is posted on the website of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

 More about the results of the study