DESS wants to know what religion Ukrainians practice

Head of DESS Viktor Yelensky. Photo: DESS

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience has announced three tenders for research in the field of interethnic relations and identification of linguistic, ethnic, and religious identities of Ukrainian citizens with a total cost of about UAH 8.2 million, reports Glavcom.

It is reported that 6 million hryvnias will be allocated for a nationwide public opinion survey. The survey intends to question at least 3,500 respondents living in territories controlled by Ukraine. The questions will address the "most pressing issues of ethnic and cultural self-identification of representatives of national minorities and indigenous peoples of Ukraine during the full-scale invasion; issues of rights and non-discrimination of representatives of national minorities and indigenous peoples; research into the linguistic and religious identities of Ukrainian citizens, including in the context of national minorities and indigenous peoples."

Another study, expected to cost 1.3 million hryvnias (with at least 1,600 respondents), aims to study the attitude of the Ukrainian population towards representatives of various national minorities and indigenous peoples; assess unity and division; and determine the level of conflict potential in Ukrainian society in the context of interethnic relations. The linguistic and religious identity of the Ukrainian population will also be separately studied.

For 900 thousand hryvnias, a sociological survey will be commissioned to study interethnic relations (ethnic, linguistic, and religious identities) of residents of the Chernivtsi and Zakarpattia regions. It will survey 1,200 people (600 per region) aged 18 and older, including permanent residents and displaced persons.

As the UOJ reported, the U.S. State Department's report on violations of freedom of religion cites specific cases of state pressure on believers.

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