FORMATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY AMONG UKRAINIAN YOUTH UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of Ukrainian youth’s national identity in response to the Russian-Ukrainian war. The study combines an overview of nationwide sociological surveys conducted by leading Ukrainian research institutions (KIIS, Razumkov Centre, Ilko Kucheriv «Democratic Initiatives” Foundation, and the «Rating» group) with the results of the author’s own survey of young people, conducted in March–April 2025 across 19 regions of Ukraine. Although the youth survey is not fully representative, its findings reflect broader social tendencies in the formation of national consciousness among the younger generation. The results demonstrate that civic identity has become the dominant model of self-identification in Ukraine since 2014, and this trend is particularly pronounced among young people, with nearly 80% of respondents primarily identifying themselves as citizens of Ukraine. Patriotic sentiments have grown significantly, with over 90% of young respondents considering themselves patriots, a figure that aligns with nationwide trends (98% in 2022). At the same time, an accelerated linguistic and cultural shift is observed: more than 75% of young respondents use Ukrainian as their primary language in everyday life, while about one-third have consciously switched to it since 2014. The war has also reshaped historical memory: most young Ukrainians have developed a more critical stance towards the Soviet legacy, while interest in Ukrainian historical figures and cultural traditions has increased markedly. Overall, the findings confirm that the war has accelerated the consolidation of Ukrainian society, with youth playing a vanguard role in this process. The younger generation demonstrates a more stable civic identity, higher levels of patriotism, and greater readiness to assume responsibility for the country’s future. These trends indicate the emergence of a new value-based core of the Ukrainian political nation, which will serve as a foundation for its post-war reconstruction and further development.