MOSCOW, 15 March 2024. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a survey devoted to the start of the Great Lent in Russia.
Fasting
Orthodox Christianity is the most popular confession in Russia; most of Russians consider themselves Orthodox Christians — 66% (–9 p.p. compared to 2017). Those who say they are Orthodox Christians are mainly women (72% vs. 58% of men), Russians aged 45 and older (70% of those aged 45-59 and 75% of those aged 60+), as well as rural area residents (70%) and inhabitants of small settlements with under 100 thousand inhabitants (72%).
More than half of Orthodox Russians say they do not often observe fasts (56%, –18 p.p. compared to 2022); this year the percentage is minimal, in previous surveys the percentage was within 71–75% (from 2018 to 2022). More than a quarter of respondents (29%) say that they observe certain fasts, over the recent five years more respondents report the same (8% in 2019). Simultaneously, the percentage of those Orthodox Christians who observe only Great Lent has decreased (19% in 2022; 9% in 2024). Only 4% of Orthodox Christians strictly observe all the fasts.
Overall, today four in ten Orthodox Christian Russians observe fasts (42%); this percentage was twice as low two years ago (24%).
Plans to observe the Great Lent
This year the Great Lent starts on March 18 and ends on May 4. Fifteen percent of Russians can correctly name the date when the Great Lent starts (19% of Orthodox Christians; 4% of non-believers). Another 27% of Russians say they have heard about the beginning of the Lent but they failed to recall the exact date; 22% are undecided. A quarter of respondents (24%) name other dates (13% after Maslenitsa 3% in March, 2% before Easter, etc.) Six percent of respondents found out about the Great Lent during the survey (14% of non-believers).
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Half of Russians are not going to observe the Great Lent this year (52%, –20 p.p. compared to 2023). This is the lowest percentage over the entire period of measurement (vs 62% in 2019; 72% in 2023). More than a quarter of respondents have not taken any decision yet (26%, +12 p.p. compared to 2023). A further 18% of Russians are not going to observe the Lent; the figure renewed its record (13% in 2019, 2021).
- Russian planning to observe the Great Lent: more likely a woman (20% vs. 15% of men), aged over 35 (18-20% vs. 9% of the 18-24-year-olds), inhabitant of rural area or a small settlement under 100 thousand of inhabitants (19-20%), who prefers to watch TV (23% vs. 13% of active internet users) and who is Orthodox Christian (24%)
- Russian not planning to observe the Great Lent: more likely a man (56% vs. 49% of women), of a young age (59-62% of the 18-34-year-olds), with higher or incomplete higher education (58%), inhabitant of one of the capitals or a million-plus city (62-61% vs. 46-45% of rural area residents and residents of small settlements with under 100 thousand inhabitants), active internet user (63% vs. 36% of TV viewers) and who thinks of himself as a believer (90%).
Activities during the Great Lent
Russians who are aware of the Great Lent spend time during it in a different way. The most popular option is to dye Easter eggs (48% vs 57% in 2021). A part of Russians live with restrictions - they stop drinking alcohol (21%) and smoking (12%), avoid strong language (18%, each), and fatty (14%) and animal-based foods (13%), entertainment (9%) and sex (5%).
Some respondents focus on spiritual activities and religious rituals – they avoid evil thoughts (18%), give elms (17%), attend church services (16%), pray on a daily basis (10%), confess (10%) and receive communion (8%, –4 p.p. compared to 2021).
Orthodox Christians often attend church services during the Great Lent (22% vs. 16% of Russians across the entire sample); 54% of non-believers do not do anything mentioned above. The only common tradition in this group is to color Easter eggs (33%).
Women are more likely to recourse to spiritual and religious activities during the Great Lent, in particular 16% avoid fatty and animal-based foods (vs.10-11% of men), 13% go to confession (vs. 6% of men), whereas men do nothing mentioned above (25% vs. 14% of women).
VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide telephone survey was conducted 9 March, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18+ took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. Data were weighted for social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
Key effectiveness indicators, survey of March 9, 2024: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.7788; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0143; response rate (RR)*** = 0.0933. Calculations are based on the corporate standard: https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/
* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.
** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.
** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.
What faith or religion do you adhere to? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Orthodox | 75 | 72 | 70 | 68 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 66 |
Islam | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Catholic Church | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Judaism | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Buddhism | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Protestantism (Pentecostalism, Adventism, Lutheranism, Evangelical Christian Baptist Union, etc.) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
I am a believer, but I do not belong to any confession | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Hesitating between faith and non-faith | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
Non-believer | 7 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
Other | - | - | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Don’t know | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
What faith or religion do you adhere to (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
Total | Men | Women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + | |
Orthodox | 66 | 58 | 72 | 38 | 53 | 69 | 70 | 75 |
Islam | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
Catholic Church | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Judaism | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Buddhism | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Protestantism (Pentecostalism, Adventism, Lutheranism, Evangelical Christian Baptist Union, etc.) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
I am a believer, but I do not belong to any confession | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
Hesitating between faith and non-faith | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Non-believer | 13 | 15 | 11 | 31 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 10 |
Other | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Do you usually observe Orthodox fasts, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of Orthodox Christians) | ||||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022* | 2024 |
I do not observe fasts | 71 | 75 | 75 | 71 | 74 | 56 |
I observe certain fasts, but not all of them | 12 | 8 | 12 | 16 | - | 29 |
I only observe Great Lent | 13 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 9 |
I strictly observe all the fasts | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Don’t know / refusal to answer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
*In 2022, the “I observe certain fasts but not all of them” answer option was not presented.
Do you usually observe Orthodox fasts, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of Orthodox Christians) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
I do not observe fasts | 56 | 61 | 54 | 59 | 59 | 54 | 59 | 54 |
I observe certain fasts, but not all of them | 29 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 23 | 32 | 29 | 31 |
I only observe Great Lent | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
I strictly observe all the fasts | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Don’t know / refusal to answer | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Do you know, have you heard or do you hear for the first time about the Great Lent? If so, when does Great Lent start this year? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||
| Total | Orthodox | Non-believers |
I heard about Great Lent, but I do not know when it starts | 27 | 24 | 36 |
18 March | 15 | 19 | 4 |
After Maslenitsa | 13 | 15 | 10 |
In March (from “Others”) | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Before Easter (from “Others”) | 2 | 3 | 3 |
In April (from “Others”) | 2 | 3 | 2 |
16-17 March (from “Others”) | 2 | 3 | 1 |
11 March (from “Others”) | 2 | 1 | 1 |
This is the first time I hear about the Great Lent | 6 | 3 | 14 |
Other | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Don’t know | 22 | 21 | 21 |
Do you know, have you heard, or do you hear for the first time about Great Lent? If so, when does Great Lent start this year? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
I heard about Great Lent but I do not know when it starts | 27 | 31 | 24 | 36 | 36 | 29 | 25 | 20 |
18 March | 15 | 7 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 20 | 17 |
After Maslenitsa | 13 | 8 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 18 |
This is the first time I hear about Great Lent | 6 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
In March (from “Others”) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Before Easter (from “Others”) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Iin April (from “Others”) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
16-17 March (from “Others”) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
11 March (from “Others”) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Other | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Don’t know | 22 | 29 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 27 | 18 | 24 |
Great Lent will start on March 18. Are you going to observe it this year, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 |
I won’t observe it | 66 | 62 | 69 | 64 | 72 | 52 |
I haven’t decided yet | 20 | 24 | 20 | 22 | 14 | 26 |
I’ll observe it | 11 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 18 |
Don’t know | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Great Lent will start on March 18. Are you going to observe it this year, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||
| Total | Orthodox | Non-believers |
I won’t observe it | 52 | 40 | 90 |
I haven’t decided yet | 26 | 33 | 5 |
I’ll observe it | 18 | 24 | 3 |
Don’t know | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Great Lent will start on March 18. Are you going to observe it this year, or not? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
I won’t observe it | 52 | 56 | 49 | 62 | 59 | 53 | 50 | 47 |
I haven’t decided yet | 26 | 24 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
I’ll observe it | 18 | 15 | 20 | 9 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
Don’t know | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Which of the below-mentioned things do you personally do during the Great Lent? Any number of answers (close-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who “have heard/knows about Great Lent") | ||
| 2021* | 2024 |
Coloring Easter eggs | 57 | 48 |
Avoiding drinking alcohol | 21 | 21 |
Abandoning evil thoughts | 19 | 18 |
Avoiding using strong language | 18 | 18 |
Giving alms | 19 | 17 |
Attending church services | 17 | 16 |
Avoiding fatty foods | 16 | 14 |
Avoiding animal-source foods (meat, dairy products, etc.) | 16 | 13 |
Abandoning tobacco-smoking | 11 | 12 |
Daily praying | 11 | 10 |
Going to confession | 12 | 10 |
Avoiding parties and entertainment | 10 | 9 |
Receiving communion | 12 | 8 |
Avoiding sex | 7 | 5 |
Followers of another faith, I follow another fast (from “other”) | - | 2 |
I try to be better, kinder (from “other”) | - | 2 |
None of the above-mentioned | - | 19 |
Other | 17 | 3 |
Don’t know | 15 | 4 |
*In 2021 the “none of the above-mentioned” option was not presented.
Which of the below-mentioned things do you personally do during the Great Lent? Any number of answers (close-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who “have heard/knows about Great Lent”) | |||
| Total | Orthodox Christian Russians | Non-believing Russians |
Coloring Easter eggs | 48 | 57 | 33 |
Avoiding drinking alcohol | 21 | 25 | 4 |
Abandoning evil thoughts | 18 | 23 | 3 |
Avoiding using strong language | 18 | 23 | 2 |
Giving alms | 17 | 21 | 4 |
Attending church services | 16 | 22 | 1 |
Avoiding fatty foods | 14 | 17 | 1 |
Avoiding animal-source foods (meat, dairy products, etc.) | 13 | 17 | 2 |
Abandoning tobacco-smoking | 12 | 14 | 3 |
Daily praying | 10 | 13 | 0 |
Going to confession | 10 | 14 | 0 |
Avoiding parties and entertainment | 9 | 12 | 0 |
Receiving communion | 8 | 11 | 0 |
Avoiding sex | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Followers of another faith, I follow another fast (from “other”) | 2 | 1 | 0 |
I try to be better, kinder (from “other”) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
None of the above-mentioned | 19 | 9 | 54 |
Other | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Don’t know | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Which of the below-mentioned things do you personally do during the Great Lent? Any number of answers (close-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who “have heard/knows about Great Lent") | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
Coloring Easter eggs | 48 | 39 | 56 | 42 | 42 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Avoiding drinking alcohol | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 20 |
Abandoning evil thoughts | 18 | 15 | 21 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 22 |
Avoiding using strong language | 18 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 19 |
Giving alms | 17 | 12 | 21 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 21 |
Attending church services | 16 | 10 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
Avoiding fatty foods | 14 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 16 |
Avoiding animal-source foods (meat, dairy products, etc.) | 13 | 10 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 13 |
Abandoning tobacco-smoking | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
Daily praying | 10 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
Going to confession | 10 | 6 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Avoiding parties and entertainment | 9 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 10 |
Receiving communion | 8 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
Avoiding sex | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
Followers of another faith, I follow another fast (from “other”) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
I try to be better, kinder (from “other”) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
None of the above-mentioned | 19 | 25 | 14 | 26 | 29 | 18 | 15 | 15 |
Other | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
Don’t know | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 |