contemporary russian identity: measurements, challenges, answers. english version

7/29/2019 Contemporary Russian Identity: Measurements, Challenges, Answers. English version

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CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN

IDENTITY: MEASUREMENTS,

CHALLENGES, ANSWERS

Public Opinion Poll

Moscow, September 2013

valdaiclub.com


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3

6

8

13

17

Content

1. Who are We?

2. Aspects of Russian Identity

3. Russian Patriotism

4. Borders and Bridges

5. Risks and Challenges


4/24

The Russian Public Opinion Research Center conducted a poll commissioned by

the Valdai Discussion Club, Contemporary Russian Identity: Measurements,

Challenges, Answers, ahead of its tenth anniversary meeting Russias Diversityfor the Modern World.


5/24

Contemporary Russian Identity: Measurements, Challenges, Answers

3VTSIOM pOll cOMMISSIOnedby The ValdaI dIScuSSIOn club

1. Who are We?

Unprompted self-identification

Which group or groups do you feel like you belong to?% of respondents, maximum three responses each, open-ended question

We have excluded the 1905-1930 Revolutionary crisis

group from Yury Levadas generational classification, as this

group is very scarce (1%).

35

25 24

33 33

3

3

4

2

2

3

8

Im my own person and donot identify with any group

Middle class

Pensioners

Low-income

Russians

Christians or Orthodox Christians

Russian national, Russian citizen

Working people, working class,workers

Intellectuals

Young people

Urban/rural

Women, men

Mothers, fathers, parents

Other

Dont know

32

11

6

5

4

4

4

4

According to Yury Levadas generational classification

19301941 Stalinist mobilization

19411953 WW2 and post-war period19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation

19851999 Perestroika

Im my own person


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Who are We?

4 Moscow, septeMber 2013

Prompted self-identification

57

35

16

16

15

14

11

11

10

9

8

4

2

1

7

1

% of respondents, close-ended question

According to Yury Levadas generational

classification

Which group or groups do you feel like you belong to?% of respondents, maximum three responses each

We are citizens of the Russian Federation

We are residents of a particular city (town)

We belong to one generation(people of the 1960s, 1990s, etc.)

We belong to one ethnic group(Russians, Gagauz, etc.)

We are residents of a particular region or territory

We are men/women

We are of our income group(we are poor or we belong to the middle class)

We have the same family role(we are mothers, we are grandmothers, etc.)

We belong to the same religion(we are Christians, we are Muslims, we are Jews)

We belong to the same social group(we are workers, we are intellectuals, etc.)

We have the same profession(we are military, we are miners)

We belong to the same subculture(we are classical music lovers, we are punks, etc.)

We have the same political affiliation(we are liberals, we are nationalists)

Other

None of the above

Dont know

26

50

16

55

16

57

12

19

5959

13

46

13

36

16

34

1620

3534

We are citizens of the Russian Federation

We belong to one generation

We are residents of a particular city (town)

We are belong to one ethnic group


19411953 WW2 and post-war period

19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation



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National self-identification

18

15 15

8 7

More common for respondents

in Moscow and St. Petersburg


Who would you describe as Russian?% of respondents, one response

Someone who grew up in Russia

and was brought up in Russian cultural traditions

Someone who is an ethnic Russian

Someone whose native language is Russian

Someone who works for Russias benefit

Someone who self-identifies as Russian

Someone who belongs to the Russian

Orthodox Church and observes its traditions

Someone who lives in Russia

Dont know

Someone who grew up in Russia and was brought up

in Russian cultural traditions

Someone who works for Russias benefit

35

16

14

11

10

6

5

2

Russians are Slavs (Yekaterinburg)

'Russian is an ethnic category. A person with

Dagestani roots may be a Russian citizen, but

cannot be referred to as Russian (Yekaterinburg)

Muslims cannot be Russian. They can have a

Russian passport and be Russian citizens, but not

Russian (Kaliningrad)

'Russian is a nationality but also a mentality

(Moscow)

It is a matter of how an individual self-identifies.

However they refer to themselves Russian,

Chechen is what they are (Kaliningrad)



19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation


16 1614

20

16

Someone who is an ethnic Russian

40

33

30

3937


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2. Aspects of Russian Identity

Old and new Russians

36

32

41

37

31

8

12

79

6

710

7 66


classification

W ic groups wou you consi er Russian i t ey ave ive inRussia for many years?% of respondents, unlimited responses

Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz

None of the above Chechens, Dagestanis, Ingush

Ukrainians, Belarusians

Tatars, Kalmyks, Bashkirs

Yakut, Khanty, Chukchi

Armenians, Georgians, Azeris

Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz

Chechens, Dagestanis, Ingush

Koreans, Chinese, Japanese

None of the above

44

30

16

10

8

7

6

36



19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation


We are close to Belarusians and Ukrainians, we

have the same energy. We are comfortable with

them. As for others, especially people from the

Caucasus, we arent comfortable with them

(Yekaterinburg)

Tatars and Ukrainians are as Russian as I am. We are

one nation. But I would never think of Dagestanis and

all those people as Russians, no matter how well they

speak Russian (Moscow)


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Religious self-identification

Regional self-identification

W at re igion con ession o you i entity yourse wit ?% of respondents, one response

Orthodox Christianity

Islam

Other Christian denominations (Catholic, Protestant)

I believe in God but do not identify as a specific religion

AtheistMore common for residents of cities

with populations exceeding 500,000

Dont know

77

6

2

5

6

2

I do not identify myself with any religion,

but I am not an atheist either

(Kaliningrad)

Im more of an atheist, but I respect our

religion (Makhachkala)

Kaliningrad Region

Kuril Islands

Yakutia

Tatarstan

Crimea

Dagestan

Chechnya

Transnistria

Abkhazia

South Ossetia

Ukraine

Yes No Dont know

Do you consi er t e o owing regions to e essentia y Russian?% of respondents, on response

85

74

72

70

56

41

39

37

30

29

29

12

20

24

26

39

54

57

52

64

65

67

4

6

5

4

5

5

4

11

6

6

4


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3. Russian Patriotism

Russian patriotism



19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation


Yes, I will stand up to defend our

motherland. Whatever the dubious

connotations of this word, I am still

a patriot (Yekaterinburg)

Patriotism is giving

without expecting

anything in return

(Yekaterinburg)

A patriot is someone who will never

emigrate even if they have the chance

(Kaliningrad)

A patriot is someone who wants to

change things for Russias sake, to

improve it (Moscow)

A patriot is someone who has hope that

Russia will rise from its knees someday.

I no longer believe in this. So I am no

longer a patriot (Moscow)

Do you consi er yourse a Russian patriot?% of respondents, one response

Yes, absolutely

Yes, somewhat

Not really

No

Dont know

37

44

12

2

5

More common for residents of small and

medium-sized cities and towns with

populations of less than 500,000


classification

How would you define patriotand patriotism?

32

4438 36 34

1510 11 12

15

Yes, absolutely Not really


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Defining motherland



19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation


W at is your most imme iate association wit mot er an ?% of respondents, up to two responses

The place where you were born and grew up

The land or region where you live

The country where you live

Your family

Your customs and traditions

Your friends and social networks

Your native language and religion

Faith, religion

Other

Dont know

64

24

23

12

9

4

4

2

1

2


70

6361

6467

2528 28

2119

The place where you were born and grew up The country where you live


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Russian Patriotism


Identity as a source of pride

Are you prou to e ong to t e o owing groups?% of respondents

I am proud to belong to group, and I feel that members of this group are better than others

I consider myself part of group but I am not proud

I do not feel I belong to any group

Dont know

We are citizens of

the Russian Federation

We belong to one

ethnic group

We are residents of a

particular city (town)

We are men/women

We are residents of a region

or territory

We are the same family role

We belong to one generation

We belong to the same

religion

We belong to the

same social group

We belong to the samesubculture

We have the same profession

We are of our income group

We have the same

political affiliation

63

59

58

57

53

52

44

43

40

36

35

31

23

29

28

34

25

35

25

34

32

33

25

29

44

24

7

10

7

12

10

20

19

21

23

33

32

20

46

1

3

1

6

2

4

4

4

4

5

5

4

7


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Knowledge of Russian symbols



19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation


P ease name t e co ors o t e Russian ag in t e rig t or er. P easedescribe what is depicted on the Russian state emblem. Pleaserecite the first few words of the Russian national anthem% of respondents, open-ended questions, one response for each

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013

83

56

19

83

54

23

86

58

34

84

55

33

85

59

40

86

60

39

85

60

38

88

68

49

86

70

54

Correctly named the colors of the Russian flag in the right order

Correctly identified the elements of the Russian state emblem

Correctly recited the first few words of the Russian national anthem

According to Yury Levadas

generational classification

Statistics on knowledge of

Russias national anthem forrespondents 60 and older

35

47

52

56

64

Know the national anthem 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013

2724 25

26

44


14/24

Russian Patriotism


Attitudes toward Russian symbols

How o you ee w en you see t e o owing Russian state sym o s?% of respondents, one response

The three most popular responses (the others accounted for no more than 3%)

National flag National emblem National anthem

Proud, happy Positive Indifferent, feel nothing

49 49

54

34

32

30

14

16

14


15/24



4. Borders and Bridges

Social bonds

% of respondents

How o you c oose rien s an acquaintances?What qualities do you value most?

Relatively important Relatively unimportant Dont know

Personal qualities 282 16

59Shared interests,common ground

276 23

Shared morals and values 374 24

Sexual orientation 456 40

Ethnicity 237 61

47Social status, income 436 60

Religion 234 64

Occupation 230 68

38 57Political views 426 69

I dont take politics into consideration, because political views may

make us friends today and enemies tomorrow. Friends are brought

together by shared interests, activities, and mutual support

(Moscow)


16/24

Borders and Bridges


Dividing lines

29 65

W ic in s o i erences etween variousgroups do you see as important or unimportant?

% of respondents

Income 359 39

Generational(young, middle-aged, elderly) 550 45

Cultural(traditional vs. modern values) 548 47

Social/class(working class,business executives)

547 48

Ethnic 344 52

Religious 538 57

Place of residence

(capitals/cities/towns/villages) 533 62

Ideological and political(left-wing, right-wing, etc.) 629 65

Regional(Central Russia vs. Siberia, etc.) 629 65

Relatively important Relatively unimportant Dont know


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Unacceptable neighbors

W at in s o person wou e most unaccepta e as a next- oor

neighbor or co-worker, someone you see every day?% of respondents, unlimited responses, close-ended question

65

51

41

28

28

26

23

22

21

14

9

8

7

6

6

5

4

4

9

2

1

Drinker, alcoholic

Homosexual

Member of a religious sect/unconventional religion

Someone with Central Asian roots

Homophobe, intolerant of any deviationsfrom the norm

People with North Caucasus origins

Member of a subculture

Heavy smoker

Someone with Trans-Caucasus roots(from Armenia or Azerbaijan)

Muslim

Representative of another ethnic group(different from mine)

Opposition activist who participates inprotests and rallies

Poor person, beggar

Someone with strong moral principles who caresabout law and order

Active supporter of the United Russia party

Russian

Radical Orthodox Christianwho observes all Church rules and rites

Rich person

I dont care who my neighbors/colleagues are

Other

Dont know


18/24

Borders and Bridges


Who would you let move to your city?



19531964 Thaw

19641985 Stagnation


T e Russian Constitution guarantees t e rig t o citizens to traveand choose their place of residence. However, sometimes thepresence of different ethnic groups and cultures in a place can

breed conflict. Do you think this problem needs to be addressed inyour region?% of respondents, one response

Anyone who wants to live in our region can do so

Only Russian citizens should be allowed to

live in our region

Only people who are fluent in our native language

should be able to live in our region

Only natives of our region, regardless of ethnicity,

should be able to live here

Only people of my ethnic group should be

able to live in our region

Other

Dont know

36

29

12

10

4

2

7

This position is twice

as common among

residents of the

Caucasus and the

Volga area

This position is more

common in the Uralsand the Far East


classification

Anyone who wants to live in our region can do so Only Russian citizens should be allowedto live in our region

35

23

2932

27

4139 38

34

36


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5. Risks and Challenges

Ticking time bombs

Relatively likely Relatively unlikely Dont know

Distribution by location

Do you t in t at con icts, c as es or mass protests are i e yor unlikely in your city or town for the following reasons?% of respondents

% of respondents who chose Quite likely

Moscowand St. Petersburg

Million-plus cities

Over 500,000 residents

100,000-500,000residents

Fewer than 100,000residents

Small towns

Ethnic differences

Income inequality

Religious differences

Political and ideological

differences

41 53 6

38 58 4

28 68 4

25 69 7

Ethnic differences

7940

3536

4130

6032

2622

2720

5843

333537

33

472627

2025

16

Income inequality

Political and ideological differencesReligious differences


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Risks and Challenges


Extremist slogans or the peoples will?

Moscowand St. Petersburg

Million-plus cities

Over 500,000 residents

100,000-500,000residents

Fewer than 100,000residents

Small towns

Do you support or not support t e o owing s ogans?% of respondents

Support Dont support Dont know

51

45

12

42 7

6

9

50

79

Stop feeding the Caucasus!

Russia for Russians!

Orthodox Christianity or death!

Geographical distribution

% of respondents who chose Support

Stop feeding the Caucasus!

Federal Districts:

a - Central

b - Northwestern

c - Southern

d - North Caucasus

e - Volga

f - Urals

g - Siberian

h - Far Eastern

Russia for Russians!

a b c d e f g h

a b c d e f g h

70

4652

43

5448

70

38

47

38

49

37

48 4956

3729

36

54 55

51

6165

34

44 42

57

47


21/24

Highlights

Nationwide representative quantitative survey

Respondents: Russian nationals, 18 and older

Method: At-home interviews

Sample size: 1,600 respondents

Geographic span:

45 regions 137 cities and towns

Qualitative survey

Four focus groups

Respondents: men and women between the ages of 28 and 42, at least 50% of them active

internet users, politically active (willing to attend rallies for their rights, protests against

declining living standards, etc.)

Cities: Moscow, Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg, Makhachkala


22/24

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