Geography, Nationality, and Religion in Ukraine: A Research Note
Author(s)
Gee, Gretchen Knudson
Abstract
This paper uses data from a 1992 survey of young people in Ukraine to examine the linkages among geography, nationality, and religion in Ukraine. Differences in religious interest and affiliation follow distinctive geographic and ethnic patterns, and mirror the divisive voting behavior observed in the 1994 Ukrainian presidential election. Therefore, religious interest and affiliation may play important roles in the developing political divisions within Ukraine. Distinct differences exist in religious interest between western and eastern Ukraine. In addition, religious affiliation differs dramatically along regional and ethnic lines. Western Ukraine contains the highest percentage of religious believers, and these believers are most strongly associated with the Greek Catholic Church. Throughout the rest of Ukraine, interest in religion is lower, and the primary affiliation is with the Orthodox Church. This suggests that religious belief and affiliation may be related to geographic, nationalistic, and political divisions that are currently growing in importance within Ukraine.
