This survey took place between 20-24 October 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%.

Belief in God

Overall, the percentage of Russians with a more or less “firm” belief in God (sum of positions 5 and 6 in Table 1) returned to 2008-2009 levels in October 2017 after having dropped in 2014-2015.

Moreover, the percentage of people identifying as Orthodox Christians who believed in God was only 8 pp higher than the nationwide indicator: 58% versus 50%, respectively. One out of every eight “Orthodox respondents” doesn’t belive in God or isn’t sure whether God exists (sum of positions 1 and 2).

Table 1

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOST ACCURATELY DESCRIBES YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE EXISTENCE OF GOD? (single answer)

Data Over Time

The percentage of Russians who believe in “supernatural forces” increased significantly in 2008 in comparison to the first survey in 1991, and is remaining at roughly the same level moving forward. In October 2017, nearly every other respondent believed in eternal life or religious miracles. Slight fewer Russians believed in the existence of Hell and the devil: around 40-41%.

Nonetheless, the percentage of respondents who answered  “Believe” to all positions in October 2017 was a quarter of the total sample. Conversely, 18% of respondents demonstrated complete disbelief in transcendental origins and a spirit world.

Table 2

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH?

Table 3

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF THE DEVIL?

Table 4

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?

Table 5

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF HELL?

Table 6

DO YOU BELIEVE IN RELIGIOUS MIRACLES?

Table 7

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE EVIL EYE/HEXES?

Self-identified Orthodox Christians and Belief in the “Supernatural”

Based on Table 1, respondents who identified as Orthodox Christians during the survey (75% of the sample) were divided into four groups:

“Atheists” – the sum of positions 1-2;

“Wavering Believers” – the sum of positions 3-4;

“Doubters” – position 5;

“Orthodox Believers” – position 6.

The Orthodox Believer respondents (34% of the total sample) believe in all irrational phenomena more often than the other Orthodox Christian groups. They expressed the strongest belief in the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven, religious miracles, life after death, and hexes. The gap between “faith” and “lack of faith” for these respondents is 8.6 and 5 times greater, respectively, in favor of faith. They believed in the existence of Hell and the devil less often.

On the contrary, atheists are inclined not only to not believe in the existence of God, but in the existence of eternal life, the Kingdom of Heaven, religious miracles, etc. as well. They are less superstitious—the percentage of atheist respondents who believe in the evil eye and hexes is significantly lower than indicators amongst wavering believers, doubters, and, moreover, Russians who identified themselves as Orthodox Christian Believers.

Table 8

Table 9

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

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