A Religious Revival in Russia?

Abstract

Data collected in a multistage probability sample of Russian-speaking citizens of the Russian Federation in the spring and summer of 1991 (as part of the International Social Survey Program's study of Religion) indicate a substantial increase in religious belief and affiliation in the Federation. A third of the Russian people who said they once did not believe in God now do believe in God - 22% of all Russians. There has also been a substantial affiliation with the Orthodox Church of those who were not previously members. The 'revivalists are disproportionately young and (relatively) disproportionately male.They tend to have become believers because of a 'religious turning point experience and to view the purpose of religion as giving a meaning and purpose to life. They propose to raise their children as religious and, like all Russians, to have a great respect for the Orthodox Church.