Public opinion on human rights in Putin-era Russia: Continuities, changes, and sources of variation

Abstract

ABSTRACTMajor setbacks in the protection of human rights during the Putin regime have produced little public outcry, suggesting that there is scant support for human rights in Russian public opinion. However, analysis of survey data spanning 2001–2015 yields several surprising conclusions. In contrast to findings from earlier studies, the data indicate that Russians think of rights in two distinct dimensions: material rights (including economic rights and rights of personal integrity) and (conventionally understood) civil liberties. Support for the former has been strong throughout the Putin era, and support for the latter has grown steadily and consistently. Moreover, support for civil liberties has increased most among less-educated and younger Russians who do not reside in Moscow and St. Petersburg: Contrary to theoretical expectations, variation in support has become less systematically linked to standard socioeconomic and demographic variables. Russians are divided over whether political NGOs should be allowed to receive foreign funding, a major issue for human rights advocates given the Russian government's crackdown on such funding and on human rights NGOs.