According to a poll conducted by the company GfK Ukraine, the rate of separation for Ukrainians in civil marriages is18%, for church marriages 6%.
Civil marriage is most popular in Kyiv, as well as in the southern and eastern regions, while religious marriage is most popular in the western region.
“Despite the fact that about 80% of Ukrainians consider themselves Christians, church marriage is preferred by the majority of the population only in western Ukraine. Accordingly, in western Ukraine there are fewer people who separate from their partners. Given the church’s negative attitude toward divorce, it can be assumed that only couples who are the most confident in their feelings marry,” commented Inna Volosevych, senior researcher at GfK Ukraine, responsible for social and political research.
The study was conducted by GfK Ukraine during July 4-19, 2013. The vast majority of Ukrainians over the age of 16 (84%) either are or have been married. In this case, 26% of respondents were in a civil marriage (i.e., living or lived with a partner together as a couple in the management of the household, but without being registered in the registry office). Twenty-three percent of Ukrainians have entered a church marriage.
Among respondents who have officially registered their marriage in a registry office, 11% reported that they are currently separated (i.e., currently are not in marital relations, no matter whether the divorce is official or not).
The number of Ukrainians who did not enter into marriage of any kind is 16%: in the age group 16-30 it is 54%, in the age group 30-49 only 7%, and among the category over 50 years 2%.
The total sample consists of 1,000 respondents aged over 16. The sample is representative of the population of Ukraine by gender, age, region, and location. The survey was conducted using personal interviews. The margin of error is 3.1%.