Contrary to pre-Soviet era research which assumed the pre-eminence of national identities, several other social identities have emerged in the transition period to a market economy and to a democratic society in at least three former Soviet republics (Miller et al., 1995). Some distinct regional differences in identity have been found in Ukraine specifically (Pirie, 1996), as well as a general territorial polarization throughout Ukraine (Arel and Khmelko, 1995). This paper investigates the various social identities (national, political, religious, class) that have emerged in post-Soviet Ukraine and their implications for social and political issues. Using a multi-method approach, it is based on survey data collected in 1994 both on a national level and on its two mobilized poles of Lviv (western Ukraine) and Donetsk (eastern Ukraine), as well as on focus groups that took place in these two cities in the Fall of 1996.

Following social identity theory, both process and content of various identities are examined: the extent of the commonality of different identities in the five regions of Ukraine, along with their associated outgroups; the hierarchy of preferences for specific social groups; their coherence or structure; and the effects of the multiplicity of identities, specifically the combination of a Ukrainian and Russian identity. After reviewing the broader meaning of eastern and western regional identities (nationalism, language, attitudes toward reunion with Russia), an empirical test of the impact of regionalism versus socio-demographic cleavages is made. The paper concludes that both play separate but meaningful roles in relevant outcomes such as reunion with Russia and maintaining the integrity of Ukraine.