Over the recent five years the share of Russians who consider military service attractive has increased.
MOSCOW, February 21, 2014. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data concerning the attitudes of Russians towards military service.
Over the recent five years the number of Russians who have positive attitudes towards military service has increased. Every second respondent (53%) would like his/her close relatives to serve in the army; this share has increased compared to 2010 (36%).
Those who perceive positively the idea are mainly those Russians who are currently serving in the army (67%) and men (60%). The share of those who do not want their relatives to serve in the army has decreased over the recent years (41% in 2014 vs. 50% in 2010). For the time being, they are mainly housewives (52%), agricultural workers (52%) and entrepreneurs (52%).
Most of Russians believe that men must serve in the army (80%). Forty-two percent of respondents are confident that for a man it is a matter of honor; those who think so are basically elderly Russians (54% aged 60 years and over); on the contrary, young Russians do not think so (32% among persons aged 18-34 years). Thirty-eight percent of Russians believe that the military service is a moral duty, even if it does not meet the personal interests. Remarkably, the share of Russians who consider military service as a pointless thing which should be avoided has considerably decreased (from 25% in 2000 to 16% in 2014).
The VCIOM opinion poll was conducted on February 15-16, 2014. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 communities in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
Would you like your brother, husband or close relative to serve in the army now? (close-ended question, one answer) | |||
| 2010 | 2012 | 2014 |
Rather yes | 36 | 52 | 53 |
Rather not | 50 | 40 | 41 |
Don`t know | 14 | 8 | 7 |
Would you like your brother, husband or close relative to serve in the army now? (close-ended question, one answer) | |||
| Total respondents | Men | Women |
Rather yes | 53 | 60 | 47 |
Rather not | 41 | 34 | 46 |
Don`t know | 7 | 6 | 7 |
What statement is closer to your point of view? (close-ended question, one answer) | |||
| 2000 | 2012 | 2014 |
Every real man must serve in the army | 47 | 50 | 42 |
Serving in the army is a debt that we owe to the state, even if it does not meet our interests | 28 | 28 | 38 |
Serving in the army is pointless and dangerous; it must be avoided by all means | 25 | 18 | 16 |
Don`t know | - | 4 | 4 |
What statement is closer to your point of view? (close-ended question, one answer) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | 60 and over |
Every real man must serve in the army | 42 | 32 | 32 | 45 | 42 | 54 |
Serving in the army is a debt that we owe to the state, even if it does not meet our interests | 38 | 43 | 39 | 35 | 40 | 32 |
Serving in the army is pointless and dangerous; it must be avoided by all means | 16 | 21 | 25 | 16 | 14 | 9 |
Don`t know | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
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!