The most outstanding Ukrainians of all times are believed to be Taras Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka and Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
The Sociological group "Rating" presents a special project "National TOP", which consists of a series of researches determining the best of the best. The peculiarity of the method is that respondents do not receive any lists or tips, people express their opinion solely with the help of open questions.
In May we present the part: "Famous Ukrainians of all times".
According to results of the survey, the absolute majority of respondents named Taras Shevchenko among the most prominent Ukrainians of all times (58.7%). The trio of leaders is completed by Lesya Ukrainka (22.5%) and Bohdan Khmelnytsky (20.1%).
The top ten also included Ivan Franko (12.7%), Vitali Klychko (10.8%), Mykhailo Hrushevskyi (7.7%), Hryhorii Skovoroda (5.7%), Ivan Mazepa (5.6%) Stepan Bandera (4.3%) and Yaroslav the Wise (3.8%).
The top twenty included Mykola Amosov (3.7%), Viacheslav Chornovil (3.5%), Andriy Shevchenko (3%), Yulia Tymoshenko (2.8%), Wladimir Klychko (2.8%), Nikolai Gogol (2.4%), Sergei Korolev (2.1%), Sofia Rotaru (1.9%), Borys Paton (1.8%) and Sergey Bubka (1.6%).
The top thirty included Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky (1.6%), Lina Kostenko (1.4%), Volodymyr the Great (1.4%), three presidents of modern Ukraine: Viktor Yanukovych (1.4%), Leonid Kuchma (1.1 %) and Leonid Kravchuk (1.1%), as well as Alexander Dovzhenko (1.1%), Valeriy Lobanovskyi (1.1%), Bohdan Stupka (0.9%) and Pavlo Tychyna (0.9%).
Also, the top fifty (with the result of 0.5-0.8%) included Volodymyr Shcherbytsky, Ivan Skoropadsky, Sydir Kovpak, Taras Bulba, Ivan Kotlyarevsky, Yana Klochkova, Olga of Kyiv, Oleh Blokhin, Petro Symonenko, Danylo Halytskyi, Petro Sahaidachny, Vasyl Stus, Pylyp Orlyk, Nestor Makhno, Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Roman Shukhevych, Lilia Podkopayeva, Vladimir Vernadsky, Viktor Yushchenko, Ivan Kozhedub, Mykola Pirogov, Andrey Sheptytsky.
In general respondents named 224 people. However, about 15% of respondents could not name (recall) any outstanding Ukrainian, the most of these were in Donbas (27%) and the least of these - in the Center (9%).
The figure of Taras Shevchenko is equally recognized in all age groups, both in villages and in cities. He was often mentioned in the West and among women.
Lesya Ukrainka was often named in villages, in the West, in the North and in the East, more frequently among women.
Bohdan Khmelnytsky was often mentioned in the cities, more often by men. His figure is mostly recognized by residents of the Central, Northern and Eastern Ukraine, least of all – by residents of the West.
Ivan Franko was more frequently mentioned in the West, more in rural areas, by elderly people rather than by young people.
Vitali Klychko is seen among prominent Ukrainians predominantly by young people, men rather than women, more in villages than in cities.
Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Hryhorii Skovoroda and Ivan Mazepa were often mentioned in the cities. Mostly by middle-aged and elderly people.
Mykhailo Hrushevskyi - more in the Centre of Ukraine, Hryhorii Skovoroda – in the North, Ivan Mazepa - in the West.
Stepan Bandera was mentioned mainly in the West of Ukraine, where he is included in the top five most prominent Ukrainians of all times.
Also Viacheslav Chornovil was relatively more often mentioned in the West. In the Center - Yulia Tymoshenko, in the South - Mykola Amosov, Sergiy Korolev, Nikolai Gogol and Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, as well as Leonid Kuchma and Wladimir Klychko, in the East - Yaroslav the Wise, Volodymyr the Great, as well as Sofia Rotaru and Valeriy Lobanovskyi, in Donbas - Sergiy Bubka, in the North - Borys Paton and Alexander Dovzhenko.
The target audience of the research: the population of Ukraine aged from 18 and older. Optional quantity: 2000 respondents. The methods of investigation: personal formalized interview according to the questionnaire (face to face). Measure of inaccuracy for the values close to 50% is less than 2.2%, for the values close to 30% – less than 2%, for the values close to 10% – less than 1.3. The period of completion: 5-14 of May 2012
The oblast’ distribution:
West: Volyns’ka, Transcarpathia, Ivano–Frankivs’ka, L’vivs’ka, Rivnens’ka, Ternopil’s’ka, Chernivets’ka.
Centre: Vinnyts’ka, Kirovograds’ka, Poltavs’ka, Khmel’nyts’ka, Cherkas’ka.
North: Kyiv, Kyivs’ka, Zhytomyrs’ka, Sums’ka, Chernihivs’ka.
South: AR Crimea, Odes’ka, Khersons’ka, Mykolaivs’ka, Sevastopol
East: Dnipropetrovs’ka, Zaporiz’ka, Kharkivs’ka.
Donbass: Donets’ka, Luhans’ka.
