NEWSLINK American Enterprise Institute: Political values in ‘Putin’s Russia’: A Q&A with Mikhail Dmitriev

In 2013, the demand for political change began to shift from Moscow to other regions. At times, other regions even surpassed Moscow in their aspirations. Thus, a political system other than liberal democracy was the preferred option for 46% of Moscow’s residents, but for only 32% nationwide. The greatest demand for democracy was in St. Petersburg (69%) and other cities with more than one million people (59%). Even in smaller cities and rural areas where the modern middle class comprises an insignificant proportion of the population, the demand for democracy reached 38–39%, thus exceeding the national capital’s level. Similarly, the share of Muscovites who voted for United Russia stood at 74%, compared to 67% across Russia.