The sociological study ‘Cultural Practices and Needs for Population Recovery in De-occupied and Frontline Communities’ results demonstrate that. The Rating Sociological Group conducted the study with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI).

Researchers interviewed 3,200 adults, aged 18 and older, from the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions.

The occupation and full-scale war brought up the issue of civic identity.

Most respondents identified as Ukrainian citizens. They answered the question about their identity based on a conscious choice, rather than their place of birth.

The average self-perception of Ukrainian citizenship is rated on a 10-point scale.

– Chernihiv region – 9.3 points;

– Sumy region – 9.2;

– Kharkiv region – 9.0;

– Dnipropetrovska – 8.9;

– Zaporizhzhia – 8.8;

– Odesa – 8.6;

– Mykolaiv – 9.4;

– Kherson – 9.1.

The older respondents were the most patriotic, as the war experience changed them and made them more pro-Ukrainian. They became more interested in Ukrainian culture, local and national history, literature, and traditions.

The respondents believed that Ukrainian culture plays a unifying role. They think that the cultural heritage of Ukraine forms the basis of the population’s identity and helps them emotionally prepare to resist the occupiers.