Identity and Public Opinion in Ukraine and Russia

Session Submission Type: Created Panel

Session Description

This panel brings together scholars studying public opinion and identity in Ukraine and Russia. First, Alexseev considers the impact of transnational media on the level of intergroup tolerance among Ukrainian respondents. The paper finds that higher EU news consumption leads to more inclusive attitudes, while the effects of Russian news consumption are mixed. Next, Soroka and Krawatzek investigate just how differently Russians and Ukrainians view specific historical topics, such as the Ukraine famine and the role of Stalin, with results that have implications for Ukrainian identity. Feinstein then considers how attitudes in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine have changed in response to Russian military presence in those regions, including a comparative analysis of national identity across three Ukrainian regions. Finally, Shevel looks at the role of the Orthodox faith in Ukrainian identity, especially in the aftermath of the establishment of an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In sum, the papers on this panel all consider how recent tensions in the relationship between Ukraine and Russia have shaped public opinion and identity for citizens in both countries.

Sub Unit

• Division 13: Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries

Individual Presentations

• Transnational News and Intergroup Tolerance: Survey Evidence from Ukraine - Mikhail A. Alexseev, San Diego State University

• Conflicts over History: Russia and Ukraine - George Soroka, Harvard University; Félix Krawatzek, Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS)

• Identity in Crisis: How Civil War Is Shaping National Identity in Ukraine - Scott G. Feinstein, Iowa State University; Kyle Estes, Iowa State University

• Orthodox Faith and National Identity in Ukraine: Elite Ideas vs. Local Narratives - Oxana Shevel, Tufts University

Chair

• Henry E. Hale George Washington University

Discussant

• Samuel A. Greene King's College London