This survey took place between December 15-20, 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%.

These questions make up a questionnaire that was developed within the framework of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) on the topic of “Relationships with Religion.” This is the third round of research on this topic (the previous rounds were conducted in 1998 and 2008). Each country amongst the program’s 45 participating countries is responsible for conducting a survey. All countries must use the same methodology and survey forms. Each participating country is also responsible for financing the survey using only their own resources.

The research methodology used in 2008 involved survey forms that the respondents filled out themselves. These, as a rule, increase the percentage of respondents who select the answer “It is difficult to say.” In 1998 and 2017, the interviewer read the questions and took down the answers (in these instances, the response “It is difficult to say” was, as a rule, not offered as a choice).

The results of the third round of ISSP reseach have lead to the following conclusions:

• Women believe in the “supernatural” more often than men. The number of Russian women over the age of 18 who believe in heaven or hell, life after death, or religious miracles is 1.5 times greater than the number of men of the same age group.
• The percentage of surveyed Russians over the age of 50 who believe in heaven or hell is greater than that of young Russians between the ages of 19 and 29.
• Russian “non-believers” who identify as atheists or don’t have any religious affiliation believe in supernatural forces less often than respondents who identify as Orthodox Christians or Muslims. Out of these, only about 10% of respondents spoke of the reality of religious symbols such as heaven, hell, or religious miracles.
• Amongst Russians who not only identify as Orthodox Christians, but also attend religious services, the percentage of those who believe in various religious miracles was at least 1.5 greater than the analogous percentage amongst Orthodox Christian Russians who do not go to church at all.
• One out of every seven Russians has sought out alternative medical services (homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, etc.), and one out of every ten has sought out the services of a fortune teller or astrologist.
• One out of every five Russians, and one out of every four Russian women, read magazines or books on esoterica.
• Over the past nine years, Russians have begun to believe more often in life after death and in the idea that deceased relatives have the ability to influence the living (33% in 2008 versus 42% in 2017, and 28% versus 38%, respectively). Belief in other “supernatural” concepts did not change significantly.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN HEAVEN? 

DO YOU BELIEVE IN HELL?

DO YOU BELIEVE IN RELIGIOUS MIRACLES? 

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT DECEASED RELATIVES HAVE THE SUPERNATURAL ABILITY TO INFLUENCE THE LIVING? 

DO YOU THINK IT’S TRUE THAT GOOD LUCK CHARMS ACTUALLY BRING GOOD LUCK SOMETIMES?

DO YOU THINK IT’S TRUE THAT SOME FORTUNE TELLERS CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE FUTURE?

DO YOU THINK IT’S TRUE THAT SOME FAITH HEALERS ACTUALLY HAVE HEALING POWERS GIVEN TO THEM BY GOD?

DO YOU THINK IT’S TRUE THAT A PERSON’S STAR SIGN/HOROSCOPE AFFECTS THEIR FATE?

PLEASE INDICATE WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THE FOLLOWING: WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, OR NEVER:

Socio-demographic characteristics

Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).

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