43% OF UKRAINIANS SUPPORT, 22% DO NOT SUPPORT CREATION OF ORTHODOX CHURCH OF UKRAINE
Religiia v Ukraine, 11 January 2019
The creation of the united Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PTsU) is supported by 43% of Ukrainians and all such supporters are in the west of the country. At the same time, 22% of citizens do not support the unification of the churches. This is shown by the results of a nationwide study conducted from 19 to 25 December 2018 in all regions of Ukraine by the Razumkov Center along with the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiative, Religiia v Ukraine reports with reference to 24tv.ua.
The proportion of those who support the creation of an autocephalous church in Ukraine has grown substantially in comparison with May 2018 (at the time 31% of respondents expressed such support), at the expense of reducing the proportion of those who were not interested in this and those who were undecided (the total share of such respondents fell between May and December from 49% to 35%).
At the same time, the proportion of opponents of creation of a local autocephalous Orthodox Church in Ukraine almost did not change. Thus, in May it was 20% and in December, 22%.
The proportion of those who support the creation of a united church exceeds the proportion of those who do not support it in the western region of the country by 70% and 7% respectively and in the central oblasts, 52% and 18% of those questioned respectively.
In addition, in the eastern and southern regions, almost half of residents either are not interested in this matter or have not decided.
The survey was conducted in all of Ukraine except for the occupied regions of Crimea and Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 January 2019)
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