Institute of Sociology NASU

The potential of the main Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in ensuring national resilience: socio-psychological component

stmm. 2025 (4): 83-100

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/sociology2025.04.083

Full text: https://stmm.in.ua/archive/ukr/2025-4/6.pdf

MAKSYM PARASHCHEVIN, Doctor of Sciences in Sociology, Leading Research Fellow at the Department of Social Psychology, Institute of Sociology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (12, Shovkovychna St., Kyiv, 01021).

paraschevin@ukr.net

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1384-4539

The article is devoted to the analysis of the possible influence of the main Ukrainian Orthodox denominations (the OCU and the UOC) on the socio-psychological resources of national resilience. The formation and maintenance of national resilience are determined by the availability of material, organizational, and socio-psychological resources. One possible factor influencing the mobilisation of socio-psychological resources is religion (religious beliefs and the activities of religious organizations). This issue has received now a lot of attention not only at the level of scientific analysis, but also at the level of state policy. In particular, there is a view that the activities of the UOC in Ukraine pose a threat to national security and national resilience. Accordingly, an active state policy is being implemented to counter this threat. On the other hand, the OCU is expected to promote national resilience. Such influence on the part of these Churches is seen through various areas of their activity, in particular through their influence on the consciousness (values, perceptions, orientations) of their believers. The available data from representative surveys do not confirm such perceptions. After all, there is no clear advantage of OCU supporters in terms of socio-psychological national resilience, nor is there a clear lag in these characteristics among the majority of UOC supporters. At the same time, the views of supporters of both Churches are often similar to those of non-religious people and ‘non-denominational’ Orthodox Christians, which suggests that their position is determined not so much by denominational influence as by other secular factors. Accordingly, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the idea of the negative influence of the UOC on the national consciousness of its supporters, as well as the idea of the positive influence of the OCU are greatly exaggerated.

Keywords: national resilience; factors of national resilience; socio-psychological component of national resilience; Ukraine; Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU); Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC); state confessional policy

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Received 29.08.2025