‘Levada Center’: 28 percent of Russians prepared to protest falling living standards

According to a new survey conducted by the independent Levada Center and published by Open Media, 27 percent of Russians consider mass protests possible at the present time, due to falling living standards. On the other hand, 61 percent of respondents believe such demonstrations are unlikely.

Respondents were also asked if they were likely to participate in such protests, should they occur: 28 percent responded positively, while 68 percent responded negatively.

Open Media notes that these are the highest numbers seen in favor of protests in the past year and a half. According to past surveys, the previous “peak” in protest activity was in the fall of 2018, when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on pension reform. In November 2018, 30 percent of Russian citizens were prepared to come out in protest.

“Levada Center Director Lev Gudkov notes that the population’s readiness for mass protest still has a declarative character. ‘It’s important to understand that this is not a real outflow into the streets. But by autumn, separate, local bursts in big cities are quite possible,’ the sociologist summarized.”

The Levada Center conducted this nationwide survey from May 22–24. It included 1,623 respondents over the age of 18, selected through a random sampling of mobile and landline phone numbers.