Ukrainian society cohesion problems in social representations of domectic youth

Abstract

Relevance of the Study. The relevance of the study is driven by the social importance of the phenomena of unity and cohesion within Ukrainian society, both during the current phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war and in the postwar reconstruction period.

Purpose of the Article. The aim of the article is to examine the social representations held by Ukrainian youth regarding conflict-generating factors that negatively affect the unity of Ukrainian society, as well as to explore the relationship between these representations and respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics and levels of patriotism.

Methods and Methodology. An online survey (September 2024) included 449 university students (aged 17–35; 83% women, 17% men) from different regions of Ukraine (“North,” “Center,” “West,” “East,” and “South”). The study employed an author-designed questionnaire incorporating elements of subjective scaling (to assess negative attitudes toward certain social groups in Ukrainian society and to forecast potential intergroup conflicts), along with a patriotism scale from I. Petrovska’s “Civic Identity” questionnaire.

Main Results and Conclusions. The strongest negative assessments among youth were directed at individuals with pro-Russian political views and those who voluntarily collaborated with Russian occupying forces. Young people’s evaluations of the societal prevalence of negative attitudes toward these and other groups were generally higher than their own personal negative assessments. Forecasts of potential social conflict were primarily rooted in perceived tensions between supporters of Ukraine and Russia, followers of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP), those who served in the military and those who did not, and supporters and opponents of the current President. Gender and age were generally less significant factors in shaping young people’s critical views of particular social groups, compared to region of residence and level of patriotism. The latter emerged as a significant factor in perceptions of social unity, with higher patriotism associated with more critical views toward certain groups. The study concludes that ultra-patriotic attitudes may serve not only as a unifying force but also, paradoxically, as a source of social fragmentation.

Future Research Prospects. Future research should focus on identifying additional socio-psychological factors that shape young people’s perceptions of social unity and may adversely affect it.