State Doctrine or Political Culture? Exploring Russian Public Opinion on State Ideology

Abstract Although the Russian Constitution formally prohibits an official state ideology, the Putin regime has consistently pushed ideological components such as patriotism, traditional moral values, and civilizational exceptionalism. Drawing on a nationally representative 2021 survey, this study finds that nearly 80 percent of respondents endorse the idea that Russia needs a state ideology. However, analysis of their preferences reveals significant diversity and ambiguity: while national-conservative orientations predominate, they do not comprise a cohesive, state-codified doctrine. This study suggests that what is labeled “state ideology” in Russia functions less as a unified doctrine than as a discursive framework in which elite messaging and popular values interact, overlap, and compete – what I call a dynamic “semantic ecology.” This underscores the blurred boundary between top-down ideological promotion and bottom-up cultural conservatism in Russia.