Almost half of Ukrainian youth are indifferent to religion - poll

In Ukraine, interest in religion among young people aged 18 to 24 has sharply declined. As of 2024, only 52% of Ukrainians in this age group are interested in religion, which is almost a third less than older people. This is reported by the Razumkov Center.

It is reported that traditionally, the level of religiosity is higher in older age groups compared to younger ones (in 2024, the lowest number of believers is among 18-24-year-olds – 52%, while in other age groups – from 61% to 76%).

There are more believers among women than men (76% and 58%, respectively).

The share of believers is higher among rural residents (76.5%) than among urban residents (63.5%).

In 2022, compared to previous years, the level of religiosity increased among people with higher (or incomplete higher) education, while remaining virtually unchanged among respondents with secondary and secondary specialized education, making the level of religiosity approximately equal in all educational groups. In 2023 and 2024, the share of believers in different educational groups also did not differ statistically.

22% of respondents said that after the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine (after February 2022), they self-assessed that they had become more religious and faithful than they had been before, 4% said they were less religious and faithful than before the war, and 69% said that there had been no changes in their attitudes toward religion and faith.

The older the respondents, the higher the number of those who have strengthened their faith – their share increases from 17.5% among those under 25 to 26% among those over 60.

Earlier we reported that over the past two years of the 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 risen to 14%, and among young people aged 18-24, it is almost 39%.