Russians polled on what democracy is

(Interfax – Moscow, April 3, 2014) About half of Russians (46 per cent) think that the country is a democracy, while last year 38 per cent thought so, sociologists from the Levada Centre have told Interfax.

According to the results of their survey, 32 per cent of Russians, the same number as in 2013, think that democracy is yet to be established in Russia.

Thirteen per cent of the respondents said that there has been less democracy in the country of late (against 22 per cent last year).

The sociologists also asked Russians what they think democracy is.

Thirty-six per cent of the respondents explained it as “a social order in which everyone, regardless of their position in society, must obey the laws”. According to 31 per cent, in a democracy “the authorities take care of the needs of people”. Thirty per cent think that it is a social order in which citizens can freely express their opinions about public affairs, while 26 per cent said that democracy is a social order in which citizens can control the activities of the authorities. For 21 per cent of Russians, in a democracy “all authorities are elected in free contested elections”, and for 14 per cent – “citizens are protected from government interference in their private lives and business”.

According to the survey, more and more Russians think that people’s well-being depends on themselves rather than on how fair society is (currently 46 per cent, against 38 per cent a year ago). Forty-eight per cent disagreed with this (against 58 per cent a year ago).

The survey was conducted among 1603 people in 45 constituent parts of the Russian Federation on 21-24 March.