MOSCOW, 9 March 2023. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the findings of a monitoring survey devoted to the public perceptions of the environmental situation in Russia. The survey was commissioned by the Committee on Ecology of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and made specifically for the Ecological Forum (RUIE).

Environmental situation globally…

Russian perceptions of the environmental situation has been stable. As in 2020-2021, neutral assessments are dominant:  44% of respondents give average evaluations – 3 out of 5 scores. The percentage of the positive and negative answers are equally distributed: every fifth respondent considers the ecological situation in the world to be good (22%); the same percentage of respondents think the situation is good (22%). At the same time, every second respondent believes the situation has been deteriorating in the last 2-3 years (53%; 49% in 2021). Twenty-eight percent of respondents report no changes; only 8% point out improvements.  

…and domestically

The Russians consider that the situation in Russia is relatively better. Despite prevailing neutral assessments (40% gave 3 scores), over the recent two years the share of the favorable assessments of the environmental situation in the country (4 and 5 scores) has grown from 23% to 34%. Simultaneously, the percentage of those who give low scores (1 and 2) has decreased from 26% to 17%.

The same pattern is observed in relation to the perceptions of the environmental situation in the home region. Moreover, currently the positive assessments prevail: 46% of Russians give 4 out of 5 scores assessing the environmental situation in their region (+11 p.p. compared to 2021); 30% give 3 scores; 23%, 1 and 2 scores (−7 p.p. compared to 2021).

Compared to the 2021 data, the Russians are less likely to point to deterioration in the environmental situation in Russia and in their region (−10 p.p. and −6 p.p. respectively). Today every second respondent considers that the environmental situation in their region has not changed over the recent 2-3 years (49%). Thirty-two percent of respondents report deterioration in the situation; 17%, improvements. The perceptions of the environmental situation in Russia are similar: 40% report no change; 35%, deterioration; 17%, improvements.

The environmental situation has worsened: who is to blame?

Landfills and waste burning plants remain the main source of negative impact on the environment as viewed by the Russians (41%; 42% in 2021). The top five negative factors contributing to the negative environmental situation in the region are as follows: activities of industrial companies, (34%), transport emission (31%), tree felling in forests and parks (27%), pollution in forests, water reservoirs and along the coast lines (25%).

Industrial companies are far from being the major polluter, according to the Russians. What causes environmental damage is basically the actions of people themselves (or lack of actions) (41%). Every fourth respondent points to regional authorities (governor, regional ministries – 25%) and local administration  (24%); 18% (each group) point to large industrial companies and state environmental regulators — Rosprirodnadzor, Rosleskhoz, etc. Least of Russians blame federal bodies for their actions or lack of actions (14%).

The basic factor that hampers improvements in the environmental situation in Russia is low level of people’s environmental responsibility (42%; 47% in 2021). Other major barriers are lack of control over environmental regulations – more respondents mention this factor (35%; +8 p.p. since 2021) and lack of authorities’ interest in improving the environmental situation (34%). Every fourth respondent sees obstacles coming from industrial companies, particularly low level of environmental responsibility (28%) and outdated equipment (27%). Every eight Russian mentions “soft” regulations in environmental protection in Russia (12%).

What should be done and by whom?

The Russian perceptions of the environmental measures have been quite stable over time. As two years earlier, education and awareness-raising is the most popular measure (38%) (41% in 2021). Other popular policies include upgrading of the waste management system (34%) and toughening of the supervision over the observance of environmental regulations (30%). Every fourth respondent considers it important to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities (26%) and technologies and equipment in the industrial premises (23%).

Thus, policies should be targeted at both citizens and businesses. As to the latter, large industrial companies could make more efforts to upgrade manufacturing technology and introduce more innovations, as 40% of the Russians suggest. Another popular option is to constantly monitor the environmental situation where the enterprise is based (35%). A quarter of respondents think that transition to green technology (26%) and introduction of transparent reporting on the environmental impact (25%) could be a good solution.

According to the Russians, positive environmental change should be initiated by federal and regional authorities (35%, each, in the group of those who think certain actions are important). As years go by, more people think supervisory bodies should conduct active environmental action (26%) (+7 p.p. compared to 2021). Fewer respondents point to municipal government (23%) and people themselves (22%) as potential initiators. Only 9% mention large industrial enterprises.

Russian nationwide telephone survey commissioned by the Committee on Ecology of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was conducted February 23-27, 2023. A total of 1,661 Russians aged 18 and over 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 socio-demographic parameters.  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.

* In 2023, the “landfills” and “waste burning plants” answer options were asked separately. Landfills — 36%, plants — 7%. To keep the dynamics these answer options were grouped together.

* In 2021, the answer option wording was as follows: “The authorities are not interested enough in improving the environmental situation; lack of comprehensive government environmental policies”.

** In 2021, the answer option wording was as follows “Insufficient level of development of the companies in general, outdated equipment”.

*** In 2021, the answer option wording was as follows “Absence or insufficient strictness of the Russian environmental standards and regulations” .