This survey took place between 21-24 October 2016 and was conducted throughout all of Russia in both urban and rural settings. The survey was carried out among 1600 people over the age of 18 in 137 localities of 48 of the country’s regions. The survey was conducted as a personal interview in respondents’ homes. The answer distribution is presented as percentages of the number of participants along with data from previous surveys.
The statistical error of these studies for a selection of 1600 people (with a probability of 0.95) does not exceed:
3.4% for indicators around 50%
2.9% for indicators around 25%
2.0% for indicators around 10%
1.5% for indicators around 5%
DO YOU THINK THAT OVERALL RUSSIA IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OR TRAVELING DOWN THE WRONG PATH?
| Moving in the right direction | Traveling down the wrong path | It is difficult to say | ||
| 2016 | Oct. | 55 | 30 | 16 |
| Sept. | 50 | 32 | 19 | |
| Aug. | 51 | 33 | 17 | |
| Jul. | 46 | 37 | 17 | |
| Jun. | 50 | 33 | 18 | |
| May | 49 | 33 | 18 | |
| Apr. | 50 | 32 | 19 | |
| Mar. | 51 | 30 | 19 | |
| Feb. | 51 | 34 | 15 | |
| Jan. | 45 | 34 | 21 | |
| 2015 | Oct. | 61 | 25 | 14 |
| 2014 | Oct. | 60 | 23 | 17 |
| 2013 | Oct. | 40 | 43 | 18 |
| 2012 | Oct. | 43 | 39 | 18 |
| 2011 | Oct. | 43 | 38 | 19 |
| 2010 | Oct. | 47 | 34 | 19 |
| 2009 | Oct. | 49 | 34 | 17 |
| 2008 | Oct. | 54 | 27 | 19 |
| 2007 | Oct. | 51 | 33 | 17 |
| 2006 | Oct. | 38 | 44 | 18 |
| 2005 | Oct. | 34 | 48 | 19 |
| 2004 | Oct. | 39 | 50 | 11 |
| 2003 | Oct. | 42 | 40 | 18 |
| 2002 | Oct. | 44 | 37 | 19 |
| 2001 | Oct. | 45 | 39 | 16 |
| 2000 | Oct. | 28 | 52 | 20 |
| 1999 | Oct. | 10 | 76 | 14 |
| 1998 | Oct. | 5 | 78 | 17 |
| 1997 | Oct. | 21 | 59 | 20 |
| 1996 | Oct. | 19 | 61 | 20 |
| 1995 | Oct. | 16 | 61 | 24 |
| 1994 | Oct. | 23 | 53 | 24 |
| 1993 | Mar. | 22 | 48 | 30 |
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN’S ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA?*
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2016 | Oct. | 84 | 16 | <1 |
| Sept. | 82 | 18 | 1 | |
| Aug. | 82 | 18 | 1 | |
| Jul. | 82 | 17 | 1 | |
| Jun. | 81 | 18 | 1 | |
| May | 80 | 19 | 1 | |
| Apr. | 82 | 17 | 1 | |
| Mar. | 82 | 17 | 1 | |
| Feb. | 81 | 19 | 1 | |
| Jan. | 82 | 18 | 1 | |
| 2015 | Oct. | 88 | 12 | 1 |
| 2014 | Oct. | 88 | 11 | 1 |
| 2013 | Oct. | 64 | 35 | 1 |
| 2012 | Oct. | 67 | 32 | 1 |
| 2011 | Oct. | 66 | 31 | 3 |
| 2010 | Oct. | 77 | 20 | 3 |
| 2009 | Oct. | 78 | 20 | 2 |
| 2008 | Oct. | 83 | 14 | 4 |
| 2007 | Oct. | 82 | 16 | 2 |
| 2006 | Oct. | 77 | 22 | 1 |
| 2005 | Oct. | 71 | 26 | 4 |
| 2004 | Oct. | 72 | 26 | 2 |
| 2003 | Oct. | 73 | 24 | 3 |
| 2002 | Oct. | 77 | 19 | 4 |
| 2001 | Oct. | 75 | 19 | 6 |
| 2000 | Oct. | 64 | 26 | 11 |
* From 2008-2011 this question was given in the following form: “OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN’S ACTIONS AS PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA?”
See full diagram of changes in Russian citizens’ approval/disapproval of Vladimir Putin’s actions since 1999 here
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF DMITRY MEDVEDEV’S ACTIONS AS PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA?**
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2016 | Oct. | 48 | 51 | 1 |
| Sept. | 48 | 51 | 1 | |
| Aug. | 48 | 51 | 1 | |
| Jul. | 55 | 44 | 1 | |
| Jun. | 51 | 48 | 2 | |
| May | 54 | 45 | 2 | |
| Apr. | 54 | 44 | 2 | |
| Mar. | 53 | 46 | 2 | |
| Feb. | 58 | 41 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 56 | 42 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Oct. | 62 | 37 | 2 |
| 2014 | Oct. | 68 | 30 | 2 |
| 2013 | Oct. | 51 | 49 | 1 |
| 2012 | Oct. | 61 | 38 | 2 |
| 2011 | Oct. | 62 | 35 | 3 |
| 2010 | Oct. | 76 | 22 | 2 |
| 2009 | Oct. | 72 | 24 | 3 |
| 2008 | Oct. | 76 | 18 | 6 |
| 2007 | Oct. | 57 | 35 | 9 |
| 2006 | Dec. | 57 | 36 | 8 |
** From 2006-2007 this question was given in the following form: “OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF DMITRY MEDVEDEV’S ACTIONS AS FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA?”
** From 2008-2011 this question was given in the following form: “OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF DMITRY MEDVEDEV’S ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA?”
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THE ACTIONS OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT?
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2016 | Oct. | 47 | 52 | 1 |
| Sept. | 43 | 55 | 2 | |
| Aug. | 46 | 53 | 1 | |
| Jul. | 51 | 48 | 1 | |
| Jun. | 48 | 51 | 1 | |
| May | 49 | 49 | 2 | |
| Apr. | 49 | 50 | 1 | |
| Mar. | 48 | 51 | 1 | |
| Feb. | 51 | 47 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 50 | 48 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Oct. | 56 | 43 | 1 |
| 2014 | Oct. | 64 | 34 | 2 |
| 2013 | Oct. | 44 | 56 | 1 |
| 2012 | Oct. | 50 | 49 | 2 |
| 2011 | Oct. | 47 | 51 | 2 |
| 2010 | Oct. | 55 | 41 | 4 |
| 2009 | Oct. | 52 | 44 | 4 |
| 2008 | Oct. | 59 | 35 | 6 |
| 2007 | Oct. | 46 | 50 | 5 |
| 2006 | Oct. | 40 | 57 | 4 |
| 2005 | Oct. | 31 | 65 | 5 |
| 2004 | Oct. | 37 | 55 | 8 |
| 2003 | Oct. | 37 | 56 | 7 |
| 2002 | Oct. | 45 | 46 | 9 |
| 2001 | Oct. | 55 | 35 | 10 |
| 2000 | Oct. | 49 | 40 | 12 |
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THE ACTIONS OF YOUR OBLAST’S GOVERNOR (THE PRESIDENT OF YOUR REPUBLIC, IN MOSCOW – THE MAYOR OF MOSCOW)?
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2016 | Oct. | 52 | 47 | 2 |
| Sept. | 51 | 48 | 2 | |
| Aug. | 53 | 46 | 1 | |
| Jul. | 55 | 44 | 1 | |
| Jun. | 51 | 48 | 1 | |
| May | 55 | 43 | 2 | |
| Apr. | 48 | 50 | 3 | |
| Mar. | 49 | 49 | 2 | |
| Feb. | 55 | 43 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 52 | 47 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Oct. | 61 | 38 | 2 |
| 2014 | Oct. | 68 | 30 | 2 |
| 2013 | Oct. | 55 | 45 | 1 |
| 2012 | Oct. | 58 | 40 | 2 |
| 2011 | Oct. | 56 | 41 | 3 |
| 2010 | Oct. | 56 | 39 | 5 |
| 2009 | Oct. | 56 | 40 | 4 |
| 2008 | Oct. | 58 | 36 | 6 |
| 2007 | Oct. | 59 | 38 | 4 |
| 2006 | Oct. | 59 | 39 | 2 |
| 2005 | Oct. | 57 | 39 | 5 |
| 2004 | Oct. | 49 | 47 | 4 |
| 2003 | Oct. | 50 | 43 | 8 |
| 2002 | Oct. | 54 | 37 | 9 |
| 2001 | Oct. | 55 | 35 | 10 |
| 2000 | Oct. | 49 | 40 | 12 |
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THE ACTIONS OF THE RUSSIAN STATE DUMA?
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2016 | Oct. | 40 | 59 | 1 |
| Aug. | 37 | 62 | 1 | |
| Jul. | 42 | 58 | 1 | |
| Jun. | 41 | 57 | 2 | |
| May | 42 | 56 | 1 | |
| Apr. | 41 | 57 | 2 | |
| Mar. | 40 | 59 | 1 | |
| Feb. | 45 | 54 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 42 | 57 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Oct. | 50 | 48 | 2 |
| 2014 | Oct. | 56 | 42 | 3 |
| 2013 | Oct. | 39 | 60 | 1 |
| 2012 | Oct. | 41 | 57 | 2 |
| 2011 | Oct. | 39 | 59 | 2 |
| 2005 | Mar. | 18 | 68 | 14 |
| 2004 | Oct. | 28 | 64 | 8 |
| 2003 | Jan. | 30 | 60 | 11 |
| 2002 | Jan. | 27 | 55 | 18 |
| 2001 | Jul. | 29 | 59 | 12 |
| 2000 | Sept. | 27 | 58 | 15 |
PLEASE NAME 5-6 POLITICIANS, PUBLIC FIGURES WHOM YOU MOST TRUST (open question – respondents name figures they trust THEMSELVES) ***
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | ||||||||||||
| X | X | X | XI | XII | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | |
| Vladimir Putin | 33 | 60 | 60 | 57 | 60 | 58 | 55 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 51 | 53 | 52 | 49 | 52 |
| Sergey Shoygu | 17 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 24 |
| Sergey Lavrov | 5 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 24 |
| Vladimir Zhirinovsky | 8 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
| Dmitry Medvedev | 14 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| Gennady Zyuganov | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Sergey Sobyanin | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Ramzam Kadyrov | – | – | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Sergey Mironov | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Patriarch Kirill | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Valentina Matvienko | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| None | 22 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 20 |
| Not interested in politicians, politics | 20 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 13 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
*** The 11 most-named Russian politicians, who received 3%
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
The ANO Levada Center has been included in the register of non-commercial organizations acting as foreign agents. See the Director of the Levada Center’s statement of disagreement with this decision here.