The number of atheists has doubled in Ukraine during the war

Over the past two years of war in Ukraine, the number of people who consider themselves atheists has doubled. While before the full-scale invasion, 7% of respondents considered themselves atheists, now this figure has increased to 14%, and among young people aged 18-24 — almost 39%. This is reported by the website Religion in Ukraine, citing sociological research.

Among the main reasons for the increase in the number of atheists in Ukrainian society, researchers call the war, the decline in the authority of religious institutions and current trends. Young people who do not yet have an established worldview often cannot understand why God allows suffering that looks like chaos. At the same time, young people are no longer afraid to declare their differences, even if they contradict family expectations or traditions. In addition, current trends of self-seeking and individualism are pushing young people to distance themselves from religious traditions.

As we reported earlier, as of August 31, 2024, the majority of those killed in the Russian-Ukrainian war were clergy and religious leaders who belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The number of UOC clergy killed is three times higher than the same figure for the OCU, followed by representatives of the Evangelical Christians.