Survey analysis in contribution to visit of faith leaders to Ukraine on April 12

Survey in cooperation with faith leaders reveals the highest values that are shared by the people of Ukraine, Russia, EU/UK and beyond

• What unites people is often forgotten in times of war and division
• The highest values shared by the people from Ukraine, Russia and Europe are: Caring, Friendship, Health, Freedom and Wisdom. These values reflect our common humanity.
• When people feel that their world is falling apart, they especially feel alone and isolated, searching for meaning, togetherness and hope
• The results emphasize the importance of the visit of the world’s faith leaders to Ukraine
• This international values survey analysis is released by Glocalities in collaboration with the Elijah Interfaith Institute and Peace Department. The research report is based on interviews with 23,647 people from Ukraine, Russia and EU/UK that were conducted in the first quarter of 2020, and also includes global research findings from our 2021 survey. The results are released in advance of the visit of the leaders’s of World Faiths to Ukraine on April 12 (see below for more information).

Highlights from the survey report

• Health (63%), Caring (63%),Freedom (60%) Friendship (60%) and Wisdom (57%) are the top 5 and highest scoring values cards globally. In Ukraine, Russia, EU/UK and worldwide the same values cards are in the top 5. War directly violates these higher values, de-humanizes the other, pulls people down, inflicts trauma and prevents them from developing, connecting and flourishing.
• People globally who feel that their world is falling apart say much more often than others that they wonder what the meaning of life really is. 68% of them wonder about the meaning of life, compared to only 32% in the rest of the population. They feel all alone (59% of them say this, compared to only 17% among the rest) and say that they try to reach a higher state of consciousness (56% versus 38% among others). Refugees whose world has literally fallen to pieces not only need material support, food, shelter and sanitation to survive, but also moral, psychological and spiritual support.
• The research indicates that the war in Ukraine not only goes against the people of Ukraine, inflicting harm, death and destruction, but also violates the highest values that are hold dearest by the people of Ukraine, Russia, Europe and by people from around the world.

Leaders of the Historic Interfaith Delegation to Ukraine

Leaders of World’s Faiths to Visit Ukraine, April 12th

The historic mission unites leaders of many faiths to demonstrate friendship and solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and all who have been impacted by the war.

A high-level delegation of religious leaders will pay a historic visit to refugee camps and the city of Chernivtsi, Ukraine on 12^th April. Participants include: the Archbishop of Canterbury (Emeritus), Rowan Williams (Anglican, UK), Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg (Jewish, UK), Grand Mufti (Emeritus) Mustafa Ceric (Muslim, Bosnia), Archbishop Nikitas Lulias (Orthodox Archbishop of the UK), Grand Imam Yahya Pallavacini (Muslim, Italy), Br. Massimo Fusarelli (Catholic Minister General, Franciscan Order of Friars, Italy), Swami Sarvapriyananda (Hindu, India/USA), Abbess Sister Giác Nghiêm, (Buddhist, France), and many others (full list on next page).

The leaders will visit various sites in the Chernivtsi region to show friendship, offer comfort, and share experiences of maintaining spiritual well-being under distressing circumstances.

As part of this visit, a public event will be held in the city’s main theater--with homage to the bombing of Mariupol-- where the faith leaders will address refugees and other citizens impacted by war. Their words will be accompanied by live musical interludes from faith institutions outside the Ukraine, testimonies from refugees, and interactions with audience members. This will be the first public event permitted at the theater since the war began.

The messages of the event are informed by a Glocalities report, in which nearly 25000 people were interviewed across the EU, Russia and Ukraine on their values in 2020. The report, published today, shows time and again that in all three spaces, people’s highest aspirational values were identical. Martijn Lampert, the Research Director of Glocalities, said ‘we have revealed by empirical means that caring, friendship and freedom were consistently among the top values of responders.’ The mission has been framed by this research and aims to demonstrate by example that even in times of war and division we have to keep appealing to the highest values of humanity that unite us

The event is the co-initiative of James Sternlicht, founder of the Peace Department and Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Founder and Executive Director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute and supported and inspired by Glocalities.

Said James Sternlicht, “In this moment, in a world gripped by profound darkness, we must unite to heal humanity.”

Said Rabbi Goshen-Gottstein, “To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time ever that an interfaith delegation has undertaken a mission of friendship and solidarity, in entering a country at war. This is all the more remarkable considering the high level of religious representatives.”.