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.
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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”.
Alexey Navalny: attitude to the politician and his criminal prosecution
9% of respondents say they approve of Alexei Navalny, this figure has halved in two years. Young people, Internet users and oppositional citizens have a better attitude towards the politician. The respondents are well aware that Navalny was sent to prison two years ago. More than half consider the court’s decision fair and believe that Navalny should be punished. A fifth of them hold the opposite opinion and think that in this way the government is settling scores with a political opponent.
Assessments of social well-being in January 2023
Assessments of respondents’ personal well-being remain positive. Most often, respondents say that recently they have gained hope, a sense of pride for their people and confidence in the future. At the same time, the first signs of an increase in negative trends have emerged in the assessments of the mood of others – this is evidenced by the analysis of long-term trends.
Approval of institutions, ratings of politicians and parties: January 2023
In December, the approval ratings of the main public authorities remained virtually unchanged and remain high. The ratings of parties and politicians also remain at the level of the last measurement.
Visions of the future: planning horizon and attitudes
Half of the respondents do not know what will happen to them even in the coming months. The horizon of planning the future has increased slightly compared to the previous measurement. At the same time, against the background of last year’s consolidation of public opinion, the positive attitude with which people look into their own future and the future of the country has noticeably increased. In general, the attitudes are similar to those observed in 2015-16.
A sense of responsibility and the ability to influence the situation
Russians feel more responsibility and their ability to influence what is happening in their family, to a lesser extent — what is happening in the country. The sense of responsibility and the sense of being able to influence what is happening in the country and the city has been slowly growing in recent years.
Mass perception of “foreign agents”
There is no unambiguous attitude in society to the law on “foreign agents”. At the same time, a year ago, most of the respondents believed that this law was a way of state pressure on independent public organizations. Today, against the background of the consolidation of public opinion around the government and the deepening of the conflict with the West, the opinion is beginning to prevail that the law is designed to “limit the negative influence of the West on our country.” Half of the respondents say that the status of a foreign agent in the media, NGOs or politics does not affect the attitude towards them.
Mass fears in December 2022
The respondents are most afraid of “illness of loved ones, children” (64%), “world war” (54%) and “illness, torment” (39%). Most of the mass phobias in 2022 have weakened compared to the measurement of 2021 – against the background of the consolidation of public opinion caused by participation in the “special operation” and confrontation with the West. Only the fear of a “world war” remains a constant. The greatest concern on most issues is shown by women (compared to men), older generations (compared to youth) and the most vulnerable segments of the population (compared to affluent Russians).
How Russians see the results of 2022
For the majority of respondents, 2022 turned out to be more difficult than the previous one, it seemed more difficult “for the country” than for the respondents personally. By many indicators, 2020, 1998 and the first half of the 1990s seemed more difficult for Russians at the time than the outgoing 2022. The majority rated it as “average”, a third – as “bad”. At the same time, more than half of respondents called 2022 a successful year for themselves, and a third called it unsuccessful. Among the main events of the year, respondents noted the “special operation” and related events. The respondents were also asked to name the person of the year, the main film and TV series of the year.