Ukraine: Half of Ukrainians surveyed identify as members of OCU, according to KIIS

Half of the Ukrainians surveyed identify as members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, while three percent align with the Moscow Patriarchate. A recent survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), reported by Interfax-Ukraine, has revealed insights into religious affiliation in Ukraine. According to the findings, 50% of respondents identify as members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Additionally, 9% identify as members of the Orthodox Church without specifying a particular jurisdiction, and 3% identify with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

The survey also found that 16% of respondents identified as atheists, 6% aligned with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), 2% identified as Protestants, 1% as Roman Catholics, 2% as members of other Christian churches, and 1% practiced Judaism. Furthermore, 4% selected other options, and another 4% found it difficult to provide an answer.

From 2020 to 2024, the proportion of individuals identifying as Orthodox remained between 70% and 72%. However, this figure dropped to 63% in 2025. There has also been a noticeable decline in those identifying with the OCU, which increased from 34% in 2020 to 56% in 2024, followed by a decrease. Similarly, the UOC-MP saw an increase to 18% in 2021, followed by a steady decline. The share of respondents identifying as UGCC rose to 9% in 2021 but also experienced a decline. The most significant drop was observed among individuals who consider themselves “simply Orthodox” without specifying a jurisdiction, which decreased from 22% to 7% before rising again to 9%.

On the other hand, the number of individuals identifying as atheists rose from 12% in 2024 to 16% in 2025. This marks a significant increase compared to prior years; their share has doubled from 7-8% in 2020-2021 to 16% in 2025. In other categories, no statistically significant changes were noted.

From a macro-regional perspective, the majority of respondents across Ukraine identified as Orthodox, with most Orthodox Christians identifying with the OCU. However, moving from west to east, the proportion of those identifying with the UOC-MP and atheists increases, reaching 10% and 21%, respectively, in the eastern regions. In contrast, in western regions, 19% identify with the UGCC and 3% with the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), with no more than 1% identifying with other groups in different macro-regions.

Age has a notable impact on religious identification, with atheists and agnostics making up 34% of young people aged 18–29. This figure falls to 19% among those aged 30–44, 16% among those aged 45–59, and 12% among those aged 60 and older.

Executive Director of the KIIS, Anton Hrushetsky, stated that additional studies indicate a relatively low level of religious awareness among Ukrainians. Many do not fully understand the differences between the OCU and UOC, leading them to select “just Orthodox” when they lack information, which serves as a proxy for “hard to say” in situations of low awareness and significance. He also noted a decline in trust in religious institutions among Ukrainians, mentioning that very few respondents reported cases of alleged oppression of the UOC-MP.

"We regularly survey people's trust in institutions. For instance, in 2012, 62% of respondents expressed trust in the church, making it the most trusted institution. However, by 2025, that figure had dropped to 44%. Additionally, 28% of people reported a lack of trust in the church, while another 28% were undecided... A third of young people identify as atheists or agnostics, and two-thirds of Orthodox Christians are unable to distinguish between the UOC and the OCU. This suggests that the significance of religion in the lives of many Ukrainians may not be as deep as it appears, and it likely reflects more secular influences, particularly regarding Ukrainian national identity,” emphasized Hrushetsky.

The survey was conducted from September 19 to October 5, 2025, using Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) across all government-controlled areas of Ukraine, with 2,015 respondents aged 18 and older. Under normal circumstances, the statistical margin of error for the sample at the 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.9%. However, due to wartime conditions, there may be some systematic deviations added to this margin of error. Nevertheless, the results remain highly representative. (Quelle: www.risu.ua, 8. April 2026)