More Russians (47%) say they do not hold democratic values than those who do (44%), a new poll has revealed, marking a significant shift from an identical survey taken three years ago by the same organization, the Levada Center.
In 2018, a similar percentage (41%) of those questioned said they hold democratic values, but the number of those who reject these ideals has risen significantly from just 38%, in what the pollster dubbed an “emerging polarization.” The number of people unable to give a specific answer halved.
Of all age groups questioned by Levada, which is registered by Russia’s Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent due to its receipt of Western funding, 18-24 year-olds were most likely to class themselves as democrats (50%).
The poll comes a month after a parliamentary election that saw the ruling United Russia party retain its constitutional majority amid accusations from opposition groups, such as the Communists.
Also on rt.com Nearly half of Russians want Putin to stay on as President after 2024, while one in four worry about ‘Cult of Personality’ - pollThe survey also asked Russians about other political views, and discovered that only one in five (18%) describe themselves as left-wing, with citizens aged 55 years or older being the most supportive of socialist ideals.
Levada also compared the results of the survey with respondents’ political-party preferences, and found that backers of the Communists and the center-left Fair Russia party are the least likely to classify themselves as democrats, with voters for the newly-founded New People party being the most supportive of democratic ideals.
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