New study examines how the war in Ukraine shaped religiosity beyond the conflict zone

Can war influence religiosity even among people living outside the immediate conflict area?

In a new study led by Radim Chvaja in cooperation with LEVYNA's Martin Lang, we examined how the Russian invasion of Ukraine affected religiosity in neighbouring European societies.

Using survey data collected before and after the invasion, the research team found that religious engagement increased in nearby countries, but not uniformly across populations.
In Czechia, the increase appeared mainly among people already identifying as religious. In Poland, stronger changes were observed among those identifying as non-religious.

Additional analyses of Google Trends data across multiple countries suggested that searches related to prayer rose more strongly in societies geographically and historically closer to the conflict.

The findings indicate that the psychological effects of war may extend beyond directly affected populations.
At the same time, responses to threat appear to depend on the social role and public presence of religion within a given society.

The study contributes to broader debates on adversity, coping, religiosity, and cultural responses to insecurity.

Read the full paper here: 
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2153599X.2025.2601082?scroll=top&needAccess=true#abstract