The overwhelming majority (78%) of the population of the de-occupied and front-line regions of Ukraine believe that it is necessary to restore destroyed cultural institutions only after the end of the war, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Rating sociological group.

"More than half of those surveyed in all regions (except for Kherson) noted that in their settlement there are completely or rather enough cultural institutions (libraries, clubs, museums, art studios). At the same time, at least a third in these regions said there are not enough institutions. Insufficiency was talked about more often in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv regions. In Kherson region, only a quarter said that there are enough cultural institutions, over 70% said there will not be enough of them," according to the survey results presented at Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

In particular, some 56% of respondents from Chernihiv region said they have enough cultural institutions, in Sumy region some 57% said they had enough, in Kharkov region some 57%, in Dnipropetrovsk region some 53%, in Zaporizhia region some 49%, in Odesa region some 58%, in Mykolaiv some 53% and in Kherson some 25%.

It is noted that the situation with the work of libraries in populated areas is the best in Chernihiv, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions, where more than 75% of respondents said these cultural institutions operate in their settlements, and the worst situation is in Kherson (21%) and Kharkiv (48%) regions. In other regions, almost 60% said libraries are open today.

The situation with the operation of clubs in populated areas is the best in Chernihiv and Sumy regions, where more than 75% of respondents said these cultural institutions operate in their settlements, and the worst situation is in Kherson (12%) and Kharkiv (41%) regions. In other regions, about 60% noted that clubs are working today.

"Despite the fact that the majority does not support the closure of cultural institutions in sparsely populated areas, the vast majority (78%) believe that it is necessary to restore destroyed cultural institutions only after the end of the war. Only 17% now support the restoration of such institutions. Interestingly, the lowest level support for the immediate restoration of cultural institutions is recorded in Kherson region," according to the survey.

In particular, in Chernihiv region, only 19% of respondents support the restoration of cultural institutions before the end of the war, in Sumy region some 17%, in Kharkiv region some 19%, in Dnipropetrovsk region some 18%, in Zaporizhia region some 20%, in Odesa region some 20%, in Mykolaiv region some 16% and in Kherson some 8%.

The survey titled "Cultural practices and needs for population restoration in de-occupied and front-line communities" was conducted from November 17 to December 4, 2023 in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. Sample population: a total of 3,200 respondents (400 respondents for each region) aged 18 years and older. The statistical sampling error is no more than 4.9% for each region. The study was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project "Building Public Confidence."