How Russians Differ in Viewing Their World

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Richard Rose, Director, Centre for the Study of Public Policy, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, discussed the differences of opinion among Russians about Russia's place in the world. He argued that many researchers fall into the methodological trap of viewing cultural groups as homogeneous. It is a mistake, he contended, to assume that all Russians think alike, that there is a distinct "Russian" perspective on any given question, and that elected leaders speak for the entirety of their populations. Rose presented data from his extensive survey research in Russia to demonstrate the diversity of Russians' opinions on the world that they percieve. He noted that this diversity of opinion is not unique to Russia and in fact occurs in all societies.

According to Rose, the majority of Russians express "introverted identities," while a small but significant minority express "cosmopolitan identities." Aspects of introverted identities include: no knowledge of a European foreign language, pride in Russia, a view of the United States as a threat, and self-identification with Russia, the Soviet Union, or a locality. Aspects of cosmopolitan identities include: having a friend or relative in the West, knowledge of a European foreign language, use of the Internet for communication outside of the CIS, and self-identification as European. Rose argued that an additional aspect of cosmopolitan identity—the desire for the right to buy imported goods—is much more common among Russians than other aspects of cosmopolitan identity because they have the experience of shortages and exclusion from international markets. Overall, Rose contended, Russia has a "cosmopolitan elite" numbering about 7 percent of its population, which is not an unusual figure for a large country.

Rose also demonstrated that Russians have differing views on key questions about the world using survey data collected by in 2005. Nearly 70 percent of Russians believe that their country's future lies primarily or exclusively with the CIS, while the remainder see its future as more in Europe. When asked if Russia will regain its great power status, 8 percent of respondents believe that it very likely will, 31 percent believe that it might, 49 percent believe that it probably will not, and 12 percent believe that it is highly unlikely. According to Rose, there are several possible ways of explaining these differences of opinion: the existence of cosmopolitan and introverted identities, political differences, economic differences, and social differences. He presented evidence demonstrating that belief that Russia's future lies with the CIS is highly correlated with introverted identities. Faith in Russia's future as a great power, in contrast, is most strongly correlated with approval of president Putin and somewhat less strongly correlated with pride in Russia.