A new study confirmed the previously announced conclusions that the June 23-24 mutiny did not affect the ratings of the president but led to a decrease in public support for Sergei Shoigu. The attitude towards Yevgeny Prigozhin has deteriorated sharply, today only one in five respondents supports him. Sympathy for Prigozhin persists primarily among young and middle-aged men who use the Internet as the main means of information. The representatives of the older generation and viewers demonstrate the greatest condemnation. There is no clear opinion about the reasons for what happened. At the same time, slightly less than half of the respondents consider Prigozhin’s criticism of the military to be at least partially justified. In relation to PMCs “Wagner” positive assessments continue to prevail: two-thirds positively assess their participation in the Ukrainian conflict. At the same time, about a third of respondents expect that as a result of the events of 23-24 there will be consolidation around the government, the same number said about improving attitudes towards the Russian armed forces; however, about half expect that “everything will remain as before.” The telephone survey was conducted from June 28 to July 1.
Month: July 2023
Conflict with Ukraine: Assesments for late June 2023
The level of attention to the Ukrainian events remains at the level of the last two months. Support for the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has also remained virtually unchanged and stays at a high level. After a surge in support for the idea of continuing military operations in May, against the background of the capture of Bakhmut (Artemovsk) in June, the number of supporters of peace negotiations has significantly increased. That might have been partially caused by the concerns after the events of June 24. The overwhelming majority of respondents are concerned about both the beginning of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine. Most still hold the United States and NATO responsible for what is happening. Concern about the possibility of a direct clash between Russia and NATO has grown markedly over the year.
Approval of institutions, ratings of politicians and parties at the end of June 2023
The survey was conducted from June 22 to 28 and in the most general terms recorded fluctuations in public opinion caused by the events of June 24. The rapidity of what happened led to the fact that changes in moods were very limited. These changes were most clearly manifested in the assessments of the direction in which the country is moving. The ratings of the president and the government, which slightly deteriorated on Saturday, returned to the previous level by the beginning of the working week. Trust in the main public and state figures has hardly changed over the past month, however, we can note a slight decrease in S. Shoigu’s trust and a significant decrease in E. Shoigu’s trust. Prigozhin. In June, the rating of United Russia in terms of those who decided on the choice of the party slightly strengthened, the support of the Communist Party and the Liberal Democratic Party equaled.
What Mark Did Yevgeny Prigozhin’s “Mutiny” Leave on Public Opinion?
Based on end-of-June survey and focus group discussions, Denis Volkov writes that the prevailing opinion among Russians is that Prigozhin’s “march on Moscow” has not weakened the authority of the central government and some believe it has even strengthened it.