Over the last few years the interest of Russians in the Great Patriotic War has intensified.
MOSCOW, June 22, 2018. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data of an annual survey devoted to the anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War (Day of Remembrance and Sorrow).
Sixty-nine percent of Russians know the exact date of the start of the Great Patriotic War (June 22, 1941); however there is a substantial difference in the responses of young, middle-aged and older persons: only 40% of those aged 18-24 give the right answer, unlike those aged 45-59 (83%).
About one-third of respondents (35%) remember stories told by their relatives who were participants in the Great Patriotic War; a further 55% know that their relatives participated in the war but are not aware of any details or only know that the relatives died or disappeared during the war.
Over the past few years Russians have had more interest in the Great Patriotic War: 45% of respondents meet veterans (35% in 2014); 61% go to sites of military glory, war museums (vs 30% in 2014), 51% to military burial sites (vs 28%). An overwhelming majority of respondents watch movies about war (88%); however the topic-related books are less popular: currently 23% of respondents are interested in such books, and this share has decreased since 2014 (from 30%).
On Day of Remembrance and Sorrow about half of respondents remember about people’s heroism and victims of war. Russians often commemorate their relatives who were in the war, go to cemeteries (18%), memorials and military monuments (16%).
The VCIOM-Sputnik survey was conducted on June 18-19, 2018, and involved 2,000 Russians aged 18 and over. The survey was telephone-based and was carried out using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia. The data were weighted according to selection probability and 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 in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
The 2004-2014 results are based on household surveys.
Let us talk about the Great Patriotic War. Do you know the exact data when the GPW started? Please name year, day and month (open-ended question, one answer % of total respondents) | ||
| 2007 | 2018 |
22 June 1941 | 65 | 69 |
Other date | 29 | 25 |
Don’t know | 0 | 3 |
Hard to tell | 6 | 3 |
Let us talk about the Great Patriotic War. Do you know the exact data when the GPW started? Please name year, day and month (open-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) 2018 | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and over |
22 June 1941 | 69 | 40 | 46 | 70 | 83 | 80 |
Other date | 25 | 43 | 42 | 22 | 15 | 19 |
Don’t know | 3 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Hard to tell | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Did you have any relatives who were participants in the Great Patriotic War? If yes, do you know any details about their life during the war? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||
| 2004 | 2005 | 2007 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
Yes, I know a lot about them from the stories of my relatives and family archives (letters, photos) | 50 | 46 | 45 | 34 | 42 | 35 |
I know that my relatives participated in the war but I do not know any details | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 37 |
I have relatives who participated in the war but they died or disappeared during the war, and I know nothing about them | 10 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 18 |
None of my relatives participated in the war | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
I do not know if any of my relatives participated in the war | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Over the recent year have you … (closed-ended question, one answer for each statement, % of total respondents) | ||||
Watched any movie about the Great Patriotic War? | ||||
| 2007 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
Yes | 89 | 85 | 86 | 88 |
No | 10 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Visited veterans? | ||||
| 2007 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
Yes | 38 | 34 | 35 | 45 |
No | 61 | 63 | 64 | 54 |
Don’t know | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Read books about the Great Patriotic War? | ||||
| 2007 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
Yes | 32 | 32 | 30 | 23 |
No | 67 | 67 | 69 | 76 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Visited places of military glory, museums and memorials? | ||||
| 2007 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
Yes | 32 | 29 | 30 | 61 |
No | 67 | 68 | 69 | 39 |
Don’t know | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Visited cemeteries, military burial sites? | ||||
| 2007 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
Yes | 32 | 27 | 28 | 51 |
No | 67 | 70 | 71 | 49 |
Don’t know | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
June 22 marks the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Tell me, please, what you do on this day to honor the memory of those died during the Great Patriotic War? (open-ended question, any number of answers, % of total respondents) 2018 | |
| Total respondents |
I commemorate my relatives who were in the war, I go to cemeteries | 18 |
I go to rally, lay flowers at the tomb of Unknown Soldier or a memorial, go to military monuments | 16 |
I commemorate the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, war events | 3 |
I commemorate this day/Day of Remembrance and Sorrow | 3 |
I watch military movies, read books, watch TV, sing songs | 2 |
I go to church, I pray, put a candle | 2 |
I participate in Immortal regiment March | 2 |
I have dinner with friends and family | 1 |
I tell my children / grandchildren about those events on that day | 1 |
I congratulate the veterans | 1 |
Moment of silence | 1 |
I drink | 1 |
I help to clean monuments | 1 |
I work on that day | 1 |
Other | 1 |
I do not do anything special | 43 |
Don’t know | 4 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!