In Ukraine, 58% of citizens oppose studying Russian in schools - survey
Kyiv • UNN
The survey showed that 58% of Ukrainians oppose studying Russian in schools. Most supporters of studying Russian are in the south and among Russian speakers.
In Ukraine, the proportion of those who believe that Russian should not be studied at all in Ukrainian schools continues to increase - in 2023 there were 52%, now - 58%. At the same time, the number of those who believe that Russian should be studied in schools decreased from 42% to 38%. These are the results of a national survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, writes UNN.
Details
KMI also reported that among the 38% who believe that Russian should be studied, only 9% want it to be studied at the level of Ukrainian or at least at a higher level than other foreign languages. The remaining 29% believe that it should be studied at the level of other foreign languages or even at a lower level.
The study also showed that the number of those who would like Russian to continue to be studied in schools is increasing from West to East. In the West of Ukraine, 25% believe that Russian should be studied (a decrease from 32% in 2023), compared to 72% (an increase from 65% in 2023). In the Center, 36% already believe that Russian should be studied in schools (42% in 2023), compared to 61% (53% in 2023).
At the same time, in the southern regions, the situation has not changed since 2023 and a near-parity division remains - 51% believe that Russian should be studied (mostly at the level of other foreign languages or a lower level), and 44% believe that it should not be studied at all. It is worth noting that in 2019, only 1% of respondents in the South believed that Russian should not be studied.
In eastern Ukraine, compared to 2023, more people are against learning Russian - from 23% to 36%. 57% support learning Russian (61% in 2023).
Among respondents who speak Ukrainian at home, 66% are against learning Russian in schools. At the same time, 31% allow its study. Among those who speak Ukrainian and Russian equally, opinions are divided equally - 48% are against learning Russian in schools, and 49% are in favor.
Among respondents who speak Russian at home, 66% believe that Russian can be studied in schools. Every fourth Russian-speaking respondent is against studying Russian.
Reference
The survey was conducted by the Kyiv International Institute on February 14-March 4, 2025. It was attended by 1029 respondents. The survey was conducted with adult (aged 18 and older) citizens of Ukraine who at the time of the survey resided in the territory of Ukraine controlled by the Government of Ukraine. The statistical error is 4.1%.
Addition
The head of the Ministry of National Unity of Ukraine, Oleksiy Chernyshov, said that in Ukraine in recent years, the sense of national identity among citizens of our country has significantly strengthened.
78% of Ukrainians consider Ukrainian their native language, while in 2006 it was 52%. In addition, 64% of Ukrainians are proud of the Flag, 63.5% of the Coat of Arms, and 61% of the Anthem of Ukraine.