changes in russian nationalist public opinion 2013–14as part of a longer trend: about 44 per cent of the respondents
in the 2005 Levada Centre survey felt ethnic diversity weakened
Russia. However, the change from 2013 to 2014 was greater if
pro- rated by year. Moreover, not only did the perception that
diversity weakens Russia decline, but the perception that diversity
strengthens Russia increased. In 2005, just about 16 per cent of
respondents held that view, as against more than 22 per cent in
2014 (see Figure 7.3).
Similarly, respondents in 2014 more than in 2013 had a
broader concept of ‘Russians’ as a social category (russkie). In
2013, a plurality of respondents (42 per cent) said that only
ethnic Russians (‘Russians by nationality’) could be considered
russkie. But about 32 per cent of respondents then said that
while russkie referred predominantly to ethnic Russians, it could
include others, and another 27 per cent understood the term to
refer to all people living in the Russian Federation regardless of
ethnicity. In 2014, the order of preferences switched. The share
who believed that the term russkie referred to all citizens of
Figure 7.3 ‘Do you believe the ethnic diversity of the population
strengthens or weakens Russia?’ – based on nationwide survey samples
from 2005, 2013, and 2014
% respondents