The number of Ukrainians who speak Ukrainian in everyday life has increased from 64% in 2021 to 71% in 2022, according to a survey conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, Kyiv Independent writes.

The breakdown of the survey showed that 96% of respondents in Western Ukraine speak Ukrainian at home.

In central Ukraine, 78% of people spoke Ukrainian in everyday life, and in the south and east – 35% and 40% of people, respectively.

The authors of the survey note that it is impossible to collect information from Ukrainians living on the front lines or in the occupied territories, so the total percentage of Ukrainian speakers may be lower.

According to the survey, the number of people who consider Ukrainian as their native language has increased from 77% to 87%.

The authors of the survey noted that some respondents from the south and east of Ukraine answered that they continue to speak Russian at home, even if they consider Ukrainian to be their native language. However, Ukrainian is spoken in public.

While Russian remains the dominant language in some parts of southern and eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian continues to be more common in towns and villages.

In addition, 38% of Ukrainians believe that the study of Russian literature should be completely removed from schools, and 28% are in favor of reducing its presence in the school curriculum.