This survey was conducted September 25–30, 2020, among a representative sample of all Russian urban and rural residents. The sample was comprised of 1605 people aged 18 or older in 137 municipalities of 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 total number of participants along with data from previous surveys. Survey questions were formulated jointly with Open Media.
The statistical error of these studies for a sample 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%
DO YOU APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE OF THE ACTIONS OF ALEXEY NAVALNY? (one answer)
| May 13 | Sep 20 | |
| Approve | 6 | 20 |
| Disapprove | 35 | 50 |
| I have not heard of him/do not know him | 59 | 18 |
| It is difficult to say | – | 12 |
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT ALEXEY NAVALNY? (N=1311; as a percentage of those who know who Alexey Navalny is. This was an open question, potential responses were not presented, respondents suggested them themselves and could suggest more than one. Responses ranked in descending order.)
| Sep 20 | |
| He speaks the truth, is for the truth, reveals difficult issues, is eye-opening | 8 |
| He says correct/intelligent things, has an alternative point of view, new outlook, has an interesting blog, innovative solutions, has his own opinion, is smart | 5 |
| He is an oppositionist, is independent, against the authorities/Putin, fights the authorities | 5 |
| He is fighting corruption, organized the Anti-Corruption Foundation, is exposing thieves, investigations, exposés | 4 |
| He is bold, brave, unafraid | 3 |
| He is close to the people, he protects people, fights for rights of people, fights for justice, he is fair | 3 |
| He is young, energetic, relentless, assertive, unyielding, ambitious | 2 |
| He is honest, sincere, open, a good person | 2 |
| He is handsome, charming, charismatic, pleasant man; appearance | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
| Nothing, I do not like him | 54 |
| I do not care | 1 |
| It is difficult to say | 19 |
WHAT DO YOU NOT LIKE ABOUT ALEKSEY NAVALNY? (N=1311; as a percentage of those who know who Alexey Navalny is. This was an open question, potential responses were not presented, respondents suggested them themselves and could suggest more than one. Responses ranked in descending order.)
| Sep 20 | |
| He is funded by the West, his masters are in the West, foreign influence, he is in the pocket of the West, he is an infiltrator, an agent of the West/U.S./Germany, a spy | 6 |
| He talks a lot, has a big mouth, a windbag, he is all words/criticism and little action, a babbler, clown, speaks nonsense, populist, a chatterer | 5 |
| He is impudent, scandalous, crafty, condescending, acts foolishly, has lots of noise/scandals/fuss/PR around him, pretentious, has no social graces, is a jerk | 4 |
| He is sowing chaos, starting riots, protests for no good reason, he is provocative, he is disturbing youths/students, inflames conflict, brings disorder, agitates the people | 4 |
| He is against the authorities, the government, the president, is oppositional, turns people against the authorities, calls for subversion of authorities | 4 |
| He is against Russia, speaks poorly about Russia, a traitor, has anti-Russian views, is unpatriotic, an enemy of Russia, is undermining the glory of the country | 4 |
| His views, his policies/inappropriate policies, he is a liberal, I do not share his views | 4 |
| He does not inspire trust, I do not like him, I do not believe him | 4 |
| He lies, is a liar, is a fraud, slanderer, spreads unconfirmed information | 3 |
| He is shallow, has nothing to offer, he is just like everyone else, neither fish nor fowl, he is not a politician, thinks only of himself and his own interests | 2 |
| He is crooked, obscure, a dark horse, slippery, a pawn in someone else’s game, uses others’ ideas, a puppet | 2 |
| He is a phony, mafia, is full of it, a con man, a crook, a convict, he should be prosecuted, is not a good person | 2 |
| I do not like his appearance | <1 |
| Other | 7 |
| Everything/I do not like anything | 16 |
| I like everything, am satisfied with everything | 7 |
| Indifferent, neutral, no such thing, nothing wrong | 3 |
| It is difficult to say | 32 |
LET US BE MORE SPECIFIC, WHICH WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS ALEKSEY NAVALNY? (N=1311; as a percentage of those who know who Alexey Navalny is. Respondents were offered a card with potential answers and they could choose only one; responses ranked in descending order.)
| Oct 13 | Apr 14 | Jan 15 | Feb 17 | Sep 20 | |
| Respect | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| Sympathy | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| I have nothing bad to say about him | 17 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 15 |
| Neutral, indifferent | 43 | 39 | 39 | 35 | 31 |
| I have nothing good to say about him | 12 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 14 |
| Irritation | 5 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Hostility | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| It is difficult to say | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE POISONING OF ALEKSEY NAVALNY IN AUGUST 2020? (one answer)
| Sep 20 | |
| I am closely following this | 18 |
| I have heard something about this | 59 |
| This is the first time I have heard of this | 22 |
| It is difficult to say | 1 |
HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE REPORT OF ALEKSEY NAVALNY’S POISONING? (N=1234; as a percentage of those who know about Aleksey Navalny’s poisoning. Respondents were offered a card with potential answers and they could choose only one; responses ranked in descending order.)
| Sep 20 | |
| Indignation, outrage | 9 |
| Sympathy, compassion | 21 |
| Agitation, fear | 3 |
| Puzzlement | 19 |
| Satisfaction | 2 |
| No particular feelings | 45 |
| It is difficult to say | 1 |
THERE ARE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ALEKSEY NAVALNY. DO YOU TRUST REPORTS ABOUT ALEKSEY NAVALNY BEING DELIBERATELY POISONED? (N=1234; as a percentage of those who know about Aleksey Navalny’s poisoning; one answer)
| Sep 20 | |
| Definitely trust | 11 |
| Mostly trust | 22 |
| Mostly do not trust | 26 |
| Absolutely do not trust | 29 |
| It is difficult to say | 12 |
THERE ARE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF WHO IS BEHIND THE POISONING OF ALEKSEY NAVALNY. IN YOUR OPINION, WHO IS MOST LIKELY BEHIND HIS POISONING? (N=410; as a percentage of those who trust the reports that Aleksey Navalny has been poisoned)
| Sep 20 | |
| Putin, the Kremlin, the government, the authorities, the State Duma, the United Russia Party, Russian intelligence agencies, the FSB | 30 |
| People he investigated, those he got in the way of, harmed, thwarted, his ill-wishers | 8 |
| The U.S., the West, Western intelligence agencies | 8 |
| Competitors, envious individuals, rivals, etc. | 6 |
| Other | 1 |
| I do not know, it is difficult to say/no answer | 47 |
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
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