The percentage of Russians who say they feel a certain degree of responsibility for their country has increased by more than three-fold over the past year, from 9 percent to 28 percent, according to a survey by the independent Levada Center published Wednesday.
Another 41 percent said they don’t feel any responsibility for their country, while 28 percent said they feel negligible responsibility.
Family remains the area of life in which most Russians feel personally responsible — with 92 percent saying they feel “fully responsible” or “responsible to a large extent” for what happens in their family.
Meanwhile, the percentage of Russians who say they feel some responsibility for what happens in their city has grown from 14 percent to 34 percent in a year.
Commenting on the increase in feelings of civil responsibility, Levada sociologist Karina Pipia told the Vedomosti business website that the surge can be explained by socio-political factors, including the pension reform and increases in consumer prices.
According to Pipia, there has been a falling interest in international affairs and increasing concern about problems including poverty and falling incomes, “which instigated the increase in the pronounced ‘civic consciousness.’”
Levada surveyed 1600 Russians across 52 Russian regions between October 18 and 24.
