This survey was carried out May 24–29, 2019 with a representative sample of all Russian urban and rural residents. The sample comprised 1616 people age 18 or older from 137 localities in 50 regions of the Russian Federation. 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%
WOULD YOU PERSONALLY PREFER THAT THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT DEVOTE MORE OF ITS BUDGET AT PRESENT TO INCREASING MILITARY POWER OR INCREASING THE LEVEL OF CITIZENS’ WELL-BEING? (one answer)
| May 19 | |
| Would prefer that more of the budget was devoted to increasing Russia’s military power | 12 |
| Would prefer that more of the budget was devoted to increasing the level of Russian citizens’ well-being | 82 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 |
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION ON BEING DRAFTED TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY? WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING THREE POINTS OF VIEW IS CLOSEST TO YOUR OWN? (respondents were presented with a card and could only choose one answer)
| Aug. 97 | Jul. 00 | Jun. 10 | Sep. 14 | Oct. 15 | May 19 | |
| Every real man must go through military service | 41 | 44 | 44 | 41 | 42 | 60 |
| Military service is an obligation to the government that must be fulfilled, even if it isn’t in your own interests | 28 | 24 | 30 | 41 | 40 | 24 |
| Military service is a senseless and dangerous activity, and one must try to avoid it using any means | 24 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 12 |
| It is difficult to say | 8 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
IN YOUR OPINION, DOES RUSSIA NEED A MILITARY WITH ENLISTMENT BASED ON CONTRACTS OR CONSCRIPTION? (respondents were presented with a card and could only choose one answer)
| May 19 | |
| Russia needs an army fully consisting of enlistments based on contracts | 31 |
| Russia needs an army with enlistment partially based on contracts and partially on conscription | 49 |
| Russia needs an army fully consisting of enlistments based on conscription, just like during the Soviet Union | 17 |
| Other | <1 |
| It is difficult to say | 3 |
IN YOUR OPINION, IS OUR MILITARY CURRENTLY CAPABLE OF DEFENDING RUSSIA IN CASE OF A REAL MILITARY THREAT FROM OTHER COUNTRIES? (respondents were presented with a card and could only choose one answer)
| Definitely yes | Probably yes | Probably not | Definitely not | It is difficult to say | |
| May 19 | 53 | 35 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| Dec. 18 | 50 | 38 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| Jan. 17 | 44 | 40 | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| Jan. 16 | 37 | 44 | 10 | 2 | 8 |
| Jan. 15 | 40 | 42 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Jan. 14 | 14 | 46 | 20 | 4 | 16 |
| Feb. 13 | 13 | 44 | 21 | 8 | 15 |
| Jan. 12 | 15 | 47 | 20 | 7 | 11 |
| Jan. 11 | 17 | 42 | 22 | 6 | 14 |
| Feb. 10 | 18 | 45 | 15 | 7 | 15 |
| Feb. 09 | 27 | 46 | 12 | 4 | 11 |
| Feb. 08 | 24 | 49 | 13 | 4 | 10 |
| Feb. 07 | 21 | 44 | 19 | 8 | 9 |
| Feb. 06 | 21 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 10 |
| Jan. 05 | 14 | 38 | 25 | 13 | 10 |
| Jan. 04 | 16 | 44 | 24 | 8 | 8 |
| Jan. 03 | 13 | 42 | 29 | 9 | 8 |
| Jan. 02 | 17 | 39 | 23 | 7 | 14 |
| Jan. 00 | 19 | 41 | 23 | 8 | 8 |
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
The ANO Levada Center has been 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.