The smallest social distance, meaning the greatest readiness of Ukrainian citizens to accept as family members and close friends, is observed towards Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians (index 2.03). Next are the Poles (2.93), and only in the third place are russian-speaking Ukrainians (2.95). Following them are Canadians and Americans, Germans, French, and Jewish residents of Ukraine. These findings are from a sociological study published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.
During the research, respondents had to indicate how close their relationships could be with members of each ethnic group.
The greatest social distance is observed towards Africans (4.69), the Romani people (4.75), russian residents of Ukraine (4.96), and Belarusians - residents of Belarus (5.30). Russians residing in russia occupy the last place with the highest social distance (6.38). The majority of Ukrainians, namely 80%, would not even allow russians into Ukraine as tourists.
Sociologists note that compared to the previous year, the attitude towards Poles has not changed, while the attitude towards russian-speaking Ukrainians has worsened.
When comparing the data from the 2023 and 2013 surveys, attitudes towards russians and Belarusians have undergone a radical change. In particular, in 2013, 90% of the Ukrainian population had a positive attitude towards russia, and an even higher percentage towards russians, placing them in second position.
The survey was conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from September 29 to October 9, 2023, using computer-assisted telephone interviews among 1010 respondents living in all oblasts of Ukraine (except for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea). Residents of territories temporarily not controlled by Ukrainian authorities before February 24, 2022, were not included in the sample, and the survey was not conducted with citizens abroad.