This survey took place between 18-22 August 2017 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%
See the full extent of how Russians’ approval of central government institutions has changed since 1999 in these indicators.
OVERALL, IS THE COUNTRY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, OR GOING DOWN THE WRONG PATH?
| Moving in the right direction | Going down the wrong path | It is difficult to say | ||
| 2017 | Aug. | 57 | 29 | 13 |
| Jul. | 55 | 29 | 17 | |
| Jun. | 55 | 30 | 15 | |
| May | 56 | 28 | 16 | |
| Apr. | 51 | 32 | 17 | |
| Mar. | 52 | 33 | 16 | |
| Feb. | 53 | 31 | 16 | |
| Jan. | 54 | 30 | 16 | |
| 2016 | Aug. | 51 | 33 | 17 |
| 2015 | Aug. | 55 | 29 | 17 |
| 2014 | Aug. | 64 | 22 | 14 |
| 2013 | Aug. | 40 | 43 | 17 |
| 2012 | Aug. | 41 | 41 | 18 |
| 2011 | Aug. | 42 | 40 | 18 |
| 2010 | Aug. | 48 | 32 | 20 |
| 2009 | Aug. | 44 | 36 | 20 |
| 2008 | Aug. | 55 | 29 | 16 |
| 2007 | Aug. | 47 | 34 | 19 |
| 2006 | Aug. | 43 | 42 | 15 |
| 2005 | Aug. | 34 | 52 | 14 |
| 2004 | Aug. | 38 | 50 | 12 |
| 2003 | Aug. | 36 | 49 | 15 |
| 2002 | Aug. | 37 | 47 | 16 |
| 2001 | Sept. | 37 | 42 | 21 |
| 2000 | Aug. | 29 | 54 | 17 |
| 1999 | Aug. | 12 | 76 | 13 |
| 1998 | Aug. | 10 | 75 | 15 |
| 1997 | Aug. | 22 | 58 | 19 |
| 1996 | Sept. | 21 | 58 | 22 |
| 1995 | Aug. | 12 | 71 | 18 |
| 1994 | Aug. | 19 | 58 | 23 |
| 1993 | Mar. | 22 | 48 | 30 |
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN’S ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA? *
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2017 | Aug. | 83 | 15 | 1 |
| Jul. | 83 | 15 | 2 | |
| Jun. | 81 | 18 | 1 | |
| May | 81 | 18 | 1 | |
| Apr. | 82 | 18 | 1 | |
| Mar. | 82 | 17 | 1 | |
| Feb. | 84 | 15 | 1 | |
| Jan. | 85 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Aug. | 82 | 18 | 1 |
| 2015 | Aug. | 83 | 17 | 1 |
| 2014 | Aug. | 84 | 15 | 1 |
| 2013 | Aug. | 63 | 36 | 1 |
| 2012 | Aug. | 63 | 35 | 2 |
| 2011 | Aug. | 68 | 30 | 2 |
| 2010 | Aug. | 78 | 20 | 2 |
| 2009 | Aug. | 82 | 16 | 2 |
| 2008 | Aug. | 83 | 15 | 2 |
| 2007 | Aug. | 82 | 16 | 1 |
| 2006 | Aug. | 78 | 21 | 1 |
| 2005 | Aug. | 70 | 27 | 3 |
| 2004 | Aug. | 68 | 30 | 3 |
| 2003 | Aug. | 74 | 23 | 3 |
| 2002 | Aug. | 76 | 20 | 5 |
| 2001 | Aug. | 74 | 19 | 7 |
| 2000 | Aug. | 65 | 26 | 10 |
* In 2008-2011 this question was asked using the following phrasing: “OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN’S ACTIONS AS PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA?”
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF DMITRY MEDVEDEV’S ACTIONS AS PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA?
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2017 | Aug. | 48 | 51 | 1 |
| Jul. | 46 | 52 | 2 | |
| Jun. | 44 | 55 | 2 | |
| May | 46 | 53 | 1 | |
| Apr. | 44 | 54 | 2 | |
| Mar. | 42 | 57 | 2 | |
| Feb. | 52 | 47 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 53 | 46 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Aug. | 48 | 51 | 1 |
| 2015 | Aug. | 61 | 38 | 1 |
| 2014 | Aug. | 71 | 27 | 2 |
| 2013 | Aug. | 51 | 47 | 2 |
| 2012 | Aug. | 57 | 41 | 2 |
| 2011 | Aug. | 63 | 35 | 2 |
| 2010 | Aug. | 73 | 25 | 2 |
| 2009 | Aug. | 76 | 22 | 3 |
| 2008 | Aug. | 73 | 22 | 5 |
| 2007 | Aug. | 56 | 36 | 9 |
| 2006 | Dec. | 57 | 36 | 8 |
** In 2006-2007 this question was asked using the following phrasing: “OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF DMITRY MEDVEDEV’S ACTIONS AS FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA?”
** In 2008-2011 this questions was asked using the following phrasing: “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 | ||
| 2017 | Aug. | 50 | 49 | 1 |
| Jul. | 49 | 49 | 2 | |
| Jun. | 48 | 51 | 1 | |
| May | 47 | 52 | 1 | |
| Apr. | 46 | 53 | 1 | |
| Mar. | 43 | 55 | 1 | |
| Feb. | 49 | 49 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 51 | 48 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Aug. | 46 | 53 | 1 |
| 2015 | Aug. | 54 | 44 | 2 |
| 2014 | Aug. | 62 | 36 | 2 |
| 2013 | Aug. | 41 | 58 | 1 |
| 2012 | Aug. | 47 | 52 | 1 |
| 2011 | Aug. | 44 | 54 | 2 |
| 2010 | Aug. | 52 | 45 | 3 |
| 2009 | Aug. | 53 | 44 | 3 |
| 2008 | Aug. | 59 | 38 | 4 |
| 2007 | Aug. | 43 | 53 | 4 |
| 2006 | Aug. | 37 | 59 | 4 |
| 2005 | Aug. | 29 | 66 | 5 |
| 2004 | Aug. | 32 | 60 | 8 |
| 2003 | Aug. | 38 | 54 | 8 |
| 2002 | Aug. | 35 | 54 | 11 |
| 2001 | Aug. | 39 | 45 | 16 |
| 2000 | Aug. | 38 | 49 | 13 |
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THE ACTIONS OF YOUR OBLAST’S GOVERNOR (PRESIDENT OF YOUR REPUBLIC, IN MOSCOW – THE MAYOR OF MOSCOW)?
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2017 | Aug. | 52 | 46 | 2 |
| Jul. | 53 | 45 | 2 | |
| Jun. | 53 | 46 | 2 | |
| May | 53 | 46 | 2 | |
| Apr. | 53 | 45 | 2 | |
| Mar. | 48 | 51 | 2 | |
| Feb. | 52 | 46 | 2 | |
| Jan. | 55 | 44 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Aug. | 53 | 46 | 1 |
| 2015 | Aug. | 60 | 38 | 2 |
| 2014 | Aug. | 66 | 33 | 2 |
| 2013 | Aug. | 55 | 43 | 2 |
| 2012 | Aug. | 55 | 43 | 2 |
| 2011 | Aug. | 50 | 45 | 5 |
| 2010 | Aug. | 54 | 42 | 4 |
| 2009 | Aug. | 56 | 41 | 4 |
| 2008 | Aug. | 58 | 38 | 3 |
| 2007 | Aug. | 57 | 40 | 3 |
| 2006 | Aug. | 58 | 39 | 4 |
| 2005 | Aug. | 56 | 37 | 7 |
| 2004 | Aug. | 51 | 44 | 5 |
| 2003 | Aug. | 54 | 39 | 7 |
| 2002 | Aug. | 48 | 41 | 11 |
| 2001 | Aug. | 50 | 33 | 17 |
| 2000 | Aug. | 53 | 38 | 9 |
OVERALL, DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THE ACTIONS OF THE RUSSIAN STATE DUMA?
| Approve | Disapprove | No answer | ||
| 2017 | Aug. | 42 | 57 | 1 |
| Jul. | 41 | 57 | 2 | |
| Jun. | 41 | 57 | 2 | |
| May | 41 | 58 | 1 | |
| Apr. | 42 | 57 | 1 | |
| Mar. | 38 | 60 | 2 | |
| Feb. | 42 | 57 | 1 | |
| Jan. | 45 | 54 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Aug. | 37 | 62 | 1 |
| 2015 | Aug. | 47 | 51 | 2 |
| 2014 | Aug. | 49 | 49 | 2 |
| 2013 | Aug. | 34 | 65 | 1 |
| 2012 | Aug. | 40 | 59 | 1 |
| 2011 | Aug. | 32 | 65 | 2 |
| 2005 | Mar. | 18 | 68 | 14 |
| 2004 | Aug. | 24 | 65 | 11 |
| 2003 | Jan. | 30 | 60 | 11 |
| 2002 | Jan. | 27 | 55 | 18 |
| 2001 | Jul. | 29 | 59 | 12 |
| 2000 | Aug. | 23 | 63 | 14 |
PLEASE NAME 5-6 POLITICIANS/PUBLIC FIGURES WHOM YOU MOST TRUST (open question – respondents named figures they trust THEMSELVES; arranged according to August 2017) ***
| 2016 | 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | |
| Vladimir Putin | 58 | 55 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 51 | 53 | 52 | 49 | 52 | 59 | 56 | 56 | 52 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 55 | 57 | 58 |
| Sergey Shoygu | 26 | 26 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 30 |
| Sergey Lavrov | 20 | 22 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 17 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 21 | 28 |
| Vladimir Zhirinovsky | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Dmitry Medvedev | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Gennady Zyuganov | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Ramzan Kadyrov | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Patriarch Kirill | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Sergey Sobyanin | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Maria Zakharova | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Dmitry Rogozin | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| None | 11 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Not interested in politicians / politics | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| It is difficult to say | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
*** 11 most frequently mentioned Russian politicians who received > 3.5%.
PLEASE NAME 5-6 POLITICIANS/PUBLIC FIGURES WHOM YOU TRUST THE LEAST(open question – respondents named figures they DON’T trust THEMSELVES; arranged according to August 2017) ****
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |||
| IV | VIII | VIII | VIII | I | II | III | VIII | |
| Dmitry Medvedev | 8 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
| Vladimir Zhirinovsky | 23 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Alexei Navalny | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Ksenia Sobchak | – | 7 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| Grigory Yavlinsky | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Mikhail Gorbachev | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Gennady Zyuganov | 14 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Vladimir Putin | 10 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Mikhail Kasyanov | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Mikhail Prokhorov | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Mikhail Luzhkov | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | <1 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| None | 9 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
| Not interested in politicians/politics | 19 | 25 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 |
| It is difficult to say | 20 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 19 |
**** 11 most frequently mentioned Russian politicians who received > 4.5%.
**** From April 2016 through July 2017 this question was not asked as part of the Levada Center’s regularly conducted polls.
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
The ANO Levada Center has been forcibly included in the registry of non-commercial organizations acting as foreign agents. Read the Director of the Levada Center’s statement of disagreement with this decision here.