This survey took place between November 22–28, 2018 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 136 localities of 52 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%
PROTEST POTENTIAL
All of the changes in public opinion since 1994 concerning the likelihood of protests and people’s readiness to participate in them can be seen in these indicators.
IN YOUR OPINION, TO WHAT EXTENT IS IT POSSIBLE THAT PEOPLE IN YOUR CITY/VILLAGE WILL HOLD LARGE-SCALE PROTESTS AGAINST THEIR WORSENING QUALITY OF LIFE AND/OR IN DEFENSE OF THEIR RIGHTS? (one answer)
| Feb. 17 | Apr. 17 | Jun. 17 | Sep. 17 | Dec. 17 | Mar. 18 | Jul. 18 | Nov. 18 | |
| Entirely possible | 19 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 17 | 41 | 37 |
| Very unlikely | 74 | 65 | 63 | 69 | 70 | 75 | 54 | 59 |
| I don’t know, it is difficult to say | 6 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
IF THIS KIND OF MASS PROTEST OCCURRED, WOULD YOU PERSONALLY PARTICIPATE? (one answer)
| Feb. 17 | Apr. 17 | Jun. 17 | Sep. 17 | Dec. 17 | Mar. 18 | Jul. 18 | Nov. 18 | |
| I most likely would | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 28 | 30 |
| I most likely would not | 82 | 77 | 77 | 80 | 81 | 86 | 66 | 66 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
IN YOUR OPINION, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A POLITICAL PROTEST (DEMONSTRATION, RALLY, STRIKE) MIGHT BE HELD IN YOUR CITY/VILLAGE? (one answer)
| Feb. 17 | Apr. 17 | Jun. 17 | Sep. 17 | Dec. 17 | Mar. 18 | Jul. 18 | Nov. 18 | |
| Entirely possible | 14 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 12 | 34 | 30 |
| Very unlikely | 79 | 71 | 68 | 73 | 74 | 80 | 60 | 65 |
| I don’t know, it is difficult to say | 7 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
IF LARGE-SCALE POLITICAL PROTESTS OCCURRED, WOULD YOU PERSONALLY PARTICIPATE? (one answer)
| Feb. 17 | Apr. 17 | Jun. 17 | Sep. 17 | Dec. 17 | Mar. 18 | Jul. 18 | Nov. 18 | |
| I most likely would | 8 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 23 | 22 |
| I most likely would not | 87 | 81 | 80 | 82 | 85 | 88 | 72 | 74 |
| It is difficult to say | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY STRIKES, PROTESTS, RALLIES OR PICKETING IN THE PAST 2-3 MONTHS IN YOUR CITY/REGION? IF YOU HAVE, HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THEM? (respondents were presented with a card from which they could choose more than one answer; ranked in descending order according to November 2018)
| Mar. 18 | Jul. 18 | Nov. 18 | |
| No, I haven’t noticed such events | 88 | 74 | 80 |
| Yes, I have noticed such events and learned about them from local media (local newspapers, radio, TV programs, internet sources) | 4 | 10 | 8 |
| Yes, I have noticed such events and heard about them from family, friends and acquaintances | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Yes, I have noticed such events and learned about them from social media posts by eye-witnesses and participants | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Yes, I have noticed such events and learned about them from state-run media (Russia-wide newspapers, central TV channels, radio stations, major Internet sources) | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Yes, I have noticed such events and personally participated in them | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Others | <1 | 1 | 1 |
| It is difficult to say | 4 | 2 | 1 |
WHO DESERVES CREDIT FOR RUSSIA’S SUCCESSES AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS FAILURES
IN YOUR OPINION, WHO DESERVES THE MOST CREDIT FOR RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND THE INCREASE IN RESIDENTS’ WELL-BEING? (respondents could choose several answers)
| Sept. 01 | Aug. 03 | Aug. 05 | Aug. 07 | Aug. 09 | Aug. 11 | Aug. 12 | Aug. 14 | Aug. 15 | Aug. 16 | Nov. 17 | Nov. 18 | |
| Vladimir Putin | 56 | 57 | 62 | 55 | 52 | 38 | 59 | 81 | 61 | 56 | 61 | 55 |
| Russian authorities/ministers | 30 | 20 | 29 | 27 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 13 |
| Dmitry Medvedev | – | – | – | – | 11 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 4 |
| Governers, regional government | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 5 |
| Entrepreneurs/businesses | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| Others | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| No one | – | – | – | – | 6 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 15 |
| It is difficult to say | 11 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 11 |
IN YOUR OPINION, WHO IN RUSSIA IS PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COUNTRY’S PROBLEMS AND THE INCREASING COST OF LIVING? (respondents could choose several answers)
| Sept. 01 | Aug. 03 | Aug. 05 | Aug. 07 | Aug. 09 | Aug. 11 | Aug. 12 | Aug. 13 | Aug. 14 | Aug. 15 | Aug. 16 | Nov. 17 | Nov. 18 | |
| Vladimir Putin | 22 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 29 | 51 | 58 | 65 | 44 | 40 | 49 | 55 |
| Russian authorities/ministers | 39 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 36 | 40 | 31 | 36 | 42 | 45 | 50 | 45 | 37 |
| Dmitry Medvedev | – | – | – | – | 23 | 41 | 19 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 21 |
| Governers, local authorities | 12 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 13 |
| Entrepreneurs/businesses | 15 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 5 |
| Others | 21 | 11 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| No one | – | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| It is difficult to say | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 6 |
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
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