This survey took place between 18-21 November 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%/75%
2.0% for indicators around 10%/90%
1.5% for indicators around 5%/95%
THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOVIET UNION’S DISSOLUTION IS THIS DECEMBER. WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, WERE THE MAIN REASONS FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR? (multiple answers)
| Dec.06 | Nov.07 | Nov.11 | Nov.14 | Nov.16 | |
| Yeltsin, Kravchuk, and Shushkevich’s irresponsible and unjustified Belovezha “conspiracy” | 32 | 25 | 20 | 30 | 29 |
| A conspiracy between foreign powers hostile to the USSR | 18 | 16 | 19 | 28 | 23 |
| The people’s dissatisfaction with the country’s leadership, M. Gorbachev and his associates | – | 21 | 18 | 19 | 21 |
| The economy being overburdened by the military, leading to stagnation and poverty | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| The ambitions of republican elites | 14 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 13 |
| The complete exhaustion of communist ideology | 16 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 13 |
| Republics’ dissatisfaction with Moscow | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 |
| The CPSU abandoning its role of leadership, weakening of Moscow during Perestroika | 16 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| The country’s technological and economic exhaustion | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Moscow’s inadequate national policies, attempt to solve national problems by force | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
| Other | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| It is difficult to say | 16 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 20 |
ARE YOU SAD THAT THE USSR FELL?
| Yes | No | It is difficult to say | |
| Nov.16 | 56 | 28 | 16 |
| Mar.16 | 56 | 28 | 16 |
| Nov.15 | 54 | 37 | 9 |
| Nov.14 | 54 | 28 | 18 |
| Dec.12 | 49 | 35 | 16 |
| Nov.11 | 53 | 32 | 16 |
| Nov.10 | 55 | 30 | 16 |
| Nov.09 | 60 | 28 | 12 |
| Nov.08 | 60 | 30 | 10 |
| Nov.07 | 55 | 36 | 10 |
| Nov.06 | 61 | 30 | 9 |
| Nov.05 | 65 | 25 | 9 |
| Dec.04 | 68 | 26 | 6 |
| Dec.02 | 68 | 25 | 7 |
| Dec.01 | 72 | 21 | 7 |
| Dec.00 | 75 | 19 | 6 |
| Jan.99 | 74 | 16 | 10 |
| Nov.94 | 66 | 19 | 15 |
| Mar.93 | 63 | 23 | 14 |
| Mar.92 | 66 | 23 | 11 |
WHAT MAKES YOU REGRET THE COLLAPSE OF THE USSR MORE THAN ANYTHING? (as a percentage of those respondents who are sad about the fall of the USSR; multiple answers)
| Mar.99 | Dec.06 | Nov.07 | Nov.11 | Dec.12 | Nov.14 | Nov.16 | |
| Destruction of the single economic system | 60 | 49 | 49 | 48 | 50 | 55 | 53 |
| People lost the feeling of belonging to a great power | 29 | 55 | 44 | 45 | 52 | 56 | 43 |
| Mutual distrust and cruelty have increased | 32 | 36 | 36 | 41 | 37 | 41 | 31 |
| The feeling that you are at home in any part of the USSR was lost | 10 | 25 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Connection with friends, relatives lost | 29 | 35 | 38 | 34 | 27 | 29 | 28 |
| It’s more difficult to now to travel, vacation freely | 10 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 15 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| It is difficult to say | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
DO YOU BELIEVE NOW THAT THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION WAS UNAVOIDABLE, OR COULD IT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED?
| Unavoidable | Could have avoided | It is difficult to say | |
| Nov.16 | 29 | 51 | 20 |
| Mar.16 | 33 | 51 | 17 |
| Nov.15 | 39 | 51 | 11 |
| Nov.14 | 30 | 55 | 15 |
| Dec.12 | 31 | 48 | 21 |
| Nov.11 | 33 | 53 | 14 |
| Nov.10 | 32 | 53 | 15 |
| Nov.09 | 28 | 57 | 15 |
| Nov.08 | 30 | 55 | 15 |
| Nov.07 | 30 | 56 | 14 |
| Nov.06 | 27 | 59 | 14 |
| Nov.05 | 29 | 61 | 10 |
| Nov.04 | 24 | 65 | 10 |
| Dec.02 | 29 | 59 | 12 |
| Dec.01 | 29 | 58 | 13 |
| Mar.00 | 26 | 62 | 12 |
| Feb.98 | 24 | 58 | 18 |
OVERALL, HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE RUSSIA’S RELATIONS WITH OTHER CIS COUNTRIES TODAY?
|
Mar. 93 |
May. 98 |
Dec. 98 |
Dec. 99 |
Jan. 00 |
Dec. 00 |
Feb. 01 |
Dec. 01 |
Dec. 02 |
Dec. 04 |
Dec. 07 |
Nov. 11 |
Dec. 12 |
Nov. 14 |
Nov. 16 |
|
| Friendly | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Good, neighborly | 8 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 16 |
| Normal, peaceful | 18 | 23 | 32 | 33 | 38 | 30 | 40 | 35 | 29 | 34 | 41 | 42 | 40 | 49 | 44 |
| Cool | 21 | 31 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 28 | 23 | 25 | 35 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 17 | 23 |
| Tense | 28 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| Hostile | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | <1 | 1 | <1 | 1 |
| It is difficult to say | 15 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
WHAT FORM OF RELATIONS BETWEEN FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS WOULD YOU PERSONALLY SUPPORT?
|
Mar. 93 |
Feb. 01 |
Nov. 01 |
Dec. 02 |
Nov. 03 |
Nov. 06 |
Nov. 07 |
Nov. 08 |
Nov. 09 |
Nov. 10 |
Nov. 11 |
Dec. 12 |
Nov. 14 |
Nov. 16 |
|
| Resurrection of the USSR in its former form | 27 | 30 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 12 |
| Maintaining the CIS in its present form | 5 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 21 |
| Voluntary unification of some republics into a closer union | 33 | 40 | 32 | 27 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 29 | 25 |
| Closer unification of all former Soviet republics, similar to the European Union | – | – | 15 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 21 |
| The independence of all republics | 16 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| It is difficult to say | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
ANO Levada Center has been included in the register of noncommercial organizations acting as foreign agents. See the Director of the Levada Center’s statement of disagreement with this decision here.