75% of respondents know about the explosion in a St. Petersburg cafe, which killed war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky. Most of the respondents believe that Ukrainian special services, Ukrainian nationalists or Western special services are behind this. At the same time, Tatarsky’s murder did not lead to a surge of fears among respondents to be a victim of terrorist attacks themselves.
Publications
Religious beliefs
72% of respondents consider themselves Orthodox, 18% either do not consider themselves to be of any religion, or are atheists. 40% say that religion plays an important role in their lives, 45% consider themselves religious people – their share has decreased slightly over the year. One tenth of the respondents attend religious services at least once a month.
Army: partial mobilization, electronic army draft, compensations to the participants of the Special Military Operation and conscription service
The majority of respondents believe that a new wave of mobilization will be announced in the next 3 months. More than half of the respondents are not ready to pay an additional 1-2 thousand rubles for army maintenance. Half support raising the upper threshold of military age. Most of the respondents are aware of the changes in the law on military service, the prevailing feelings in this regard are negative.
Conversations with friends and discussion of Ukrainian events
Most often, respondents talk to friends about routine matters: children, work and household. One in five likes to talk about politics. At the same time, about half of the respondents discuss the topic of the “special operation” with their family and friends. However, most are not ready to engage in conversations about this with strangers. This is similar to how respondents discuss other socio-political topics.
Conflict with Ukraine: Assessments for March 2023
In March, there was a slight decrease in attention to the events in Ukraine and support for the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, while support remains high. In addition, compared to last fall, there is a decrease in the proportion of those who fear the announcement of general mobilization. About half of the respondents still support the transition to peace talks, and almost the same number support the continuation of hostilities.
Approval of institutions, ratings of parties and politicians: March 2023
In February, the approval ratings of the main public authorities remained virtually unchanged and remain high. The ratings of United Russia and the Communist Party have slightly risen. The ratings of politicians have hardly changed during the month.
Attitude to countries: February 2023
In relation to the USA, the EU and Ukraine, negative assessments prevail among respondents. As before, there is a noticeable difference in opinions by age. Positive assessments are typical for China, India and Turkey.
Approval of institutions and ratings of politicians: February 2023
In February, the approval ratings of the main public authorities remain consistently high. The approval rates of the State Duma and the government have slightly increased, as well as confidence that things are going in the right direction in the country. The ratings of leading politicians have not changed significantly over the past month.
Conflict with Ukraine: Assessments for February 2023
Support for the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine remains high. On the issue of peace negotiations, society is almost equally divided: 50% are in favor of negotiations, 43% are in favor of continuing military operations. At the same time, only the idea of an exchange of prisoners of war. An immediate ceasefire, the return of territories to Ukraine or the country’s membership in NATO are unequivocally rejected by the majority of respondents. Since November last year, the number of people who are confident in the successful course of the “special operation” has slightly increased. Respondents call the main objectives of the “special operation” the protection of Russian borders and the protection of the Russian-speaking population of Donbass.
Attitude to Boris Yeltsin, to his era, to the Yeltsin Center
A neutral-negative attitude towards Boris Yeltsin prevails among respondents, while the share of respondents with a negative attitude towards the first president has been increasing in recent years. Moreover, the amount of respondents who believe that Yeltsin’s rule brought more bad things to the country than good ones continues to increase. The first president is credited with “improving the financial situation”, “economic development”, ”the emergence of a market economy”, “ending the deficit”, “freedom” and “democracy”. They complain about “devastation”, “mess”, “impoverishment of people, hunger, rising prices” and “collapse of the USSR”.