Russian political culture: Evidence from public opinion surveys

Established views of Russian political culture locate the Soviet experience in the culture of Imperial Russia. Yet the rapid modernization effected by the Soviet regime might be expected to have brought about changes in the direction of secularism, pluralism and democracy. The work of other scholars has suggested precisely that. However, the circumstances of their work needs to be taken into account. More careful studies over a longer period suggest at best that the cultural basis for genuine democracy is mixed, so the prospects for democratic politics are so far not secure.