Levada Center: Number of Russians in support of Stalin monument has doubled since 2010

Nearly half of Russians — 48 percent — support the idea of putting up a monument to Joseph Stalin to mark the next anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, according to a survey conducted by the independent Levada Center.

By comparison, 20 percent of respondents oppose the idea and 29 percent are indifferent.

The share of Russians in support of a Stalin monument has almost doubled since 2010. At the time, 25 percent of survey respondents were in favor of the idea and 36 percent were opposed.

The Levada Center also notes that there’s been a drastic increase in support for a monument to Stalin among the youngest demographic (survey respondents aged 18 to 24) — from a little over 10 percent in 2010 to about 50 percent in 2021. 

The survey also asked respondents about the idea of constructing a “Stalin Center” museum — a plan put forward by the Communist Party (KPRF) branch in the Nizhny Novgorod region back in April. Overall, 60 percent of respondents replied that they either fully support (26 percent) or are inclined to support (34 percent) this idea. 

In late June, the Levada Center published the results of survey, which showed that 56 percent of Russians consider Stalin a “great leader.” The percentage of people who hold this opinion has doubled in the last five years. Another poll showed that 39 percent of Russians consider Stalin an “exceptional person.”