Share of ‘patriotic’ Russians reaches all-time high – poll

Some 94% of Russians describe themselves as patriots, more than at any point since surveys first began, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTSIOM) said on Friday.

The increase was driven mainly by a ten percentage point surge in “unconditional” patriotism since last year, which now stands at 62%, VTSIOM revealed. Back in 2005, when the survey first started, it was just 47%.

“Today, the feeling of patriotism is shared approximately equally by men and women (93% and 95%, respectively), the young and the old (87% in the 18-24 category and 94% among those 60+), and residents of cities and the countryside (94% and 95% respectively),” said the pollster.

The recent surge in unconditional patriotism is higher than the eight-point increase in 2022, after the military operation in Ukraine began.

The percentage of Russians who described themselves as “not very” patriotic was the highest in March 2014, prior to the reunification with Crimea. It stood at 13% at the time but has shrunk to just 2% today. Only 1% of Russians have openly declared they don’t feel patriotic at all.

VTSIOM’s poll was based on phone interviews with a representative sample of 1,600 adult Russians, carried out at the beginning of March.