---
title: "National and Religious Portrait of the Odesa Region: Data from a Large-Scale Social Survey"
description: "Results of a social survey in the Odesa region: 86% of residents consider themselves Ukrainians, and 73% advocate for severing ties between the UOC and the ROC. The majority of respondents want the Ukrainian language in churches and the unification of churches. 🇺🇦📊"
date: 2026-06-17T18:14:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/national-and-religious-portrait-of-the-odesa-region-data-from-a-large-scale-social-survey
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# National and Religious Portrait of the Odesa Region: Data from a Large-Scale Social Survey

![Young people relaxing in an Odessa park under a blooming tree, illustrating the daily life and multicultural atmosphere of the region described in the social survey](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/17/natsionalnyy-i-religioznyy-portret-odesskoj-oblasti-dannye-obslekovaniya/natsionalnyy-i-religioznyy-portret-odesskoj-oblasti-dannye-obslekovaniya-1.webp)

A large-scale sociological survey has been completed in the Odesa region, focusing on assessing the religious situation and the national self-awareness of the region's residents. The study, the results of which were published by RBC-Ukraine, revealed clear trends in the population's identity and their attitude towards church structures.

### National Self-Identification: Overwhelming Majority Identify as Ukrainians

The key finding of the study is that the absolute majority of residents identify themselves as Ukrainians. According to the survey data, 86% of respondents clearly indicated their nationality as Ukrainian. The share of representatives of national minorities in the region remains insignificant.

Statistics for other ethnic groups are as follows:

    - 4% of residents identify themselves as Russian by nationality;

    - 3% of respondents indicated belonging to the Bulgarian ethnicity;

    - 1% identified themselves as Gagauz.

### Religious Landscape: Blurred Boundaries and Lack of Unity

In terms of religion, the situation in the Odesa region is characterized by a mixed nature. There is no clear dominance of one confession, and a significant part of the population separates faith from institutional affiliation to a specific church.

The largest group consists of people who call themselves Orthodox without affiliation to a specific confession — their share is 32%. If we consider specific church structures, 17% of citizens identify with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC under the leadership of Metropolitan Onufriy) has 11% of supporters among those surveyed.

A significant segment of the population does not adhere to religious dogmas or does not publicize their faith:

    - 16% of residents consider themselves non-believers or atheists;

    - 15% of respondents defined themselves simply as believers, without affiliating with any confession.

### Attitude Towards Ties with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Future of the Church

The study showed that the overwhelming majority of residents of the Odesa region do not support religious ties with the aggressor country. In particular, 73% of respondents advocate for a complete severance of ties between the UOC and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

Questions regarding the regulation of the activities of church structures provoke an active reaction from the population. 48% of respondents support the idea of a complete ban on the activities of the UOC Onufriy due to its contacts with Moscow. Furthermore, 55% of citizens approve of the introduction of personal sanctions against Metropolitan Onufriy himself.

At the same time, half of those surveyed (50%) see the solution to the problem in the creation of a single Orthodox Church of Ukraine through the unification of the OCU and the UOC. An important aspect for believers is also the language issue: 55% of citizens want church services to be conducted in the Ukrainian language.

It is worth noting that the results of the Odesa survey correlate with nationwide data. According to the study "Assessment of the Religious Situation in Ukraine," a quarter of the country's residents also consider themselves Orthodox without specific affiliation to a church, which confirms the trend towards a generalized perception of faith outside the framework of administrative church structures.