The topic of Stalin’s repressions is still assessed ambiguously by Russians.
MOSCOW, July 5, 2017. The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), the GULAG History State Museum and the Memory Foundation announce their cooperation and present the data of a survey which launches a series of studies devoted to the mass repressions in the 20th century. The study is based on VCIOM-Sputnik nationwide daily telephone survey that measures public opinion on any issue in a timely manner. Every day a total number of 600 persons are surveyed; the sample size over three days makes up 1,800 respondents.
Most of Russians are aware of what is meant by “Stalin’s repressions” (90%), however the awareness is strongly dependent on respondent’s age and education level: among respondents aged 18 - 24 (76%) and respondents with the education level below secondary school (70%) the number of persons who are mostly aware is smaller than among older generation respondents (94-96% among persons aged 45 and over) and those who have university diplomas (94%). At the same time, school and university courses devoted to this topic are ranked 6th in the list of sources people use to know more about repressions; the first position is held by documentary literature and press publications (52%), TV and radio news and analytical programs (46%) and stories told by relatives (48%).
More than two-thirds of Russians who heard of repressions think that the court decisions on the cases of political prisoners were unfair (68%); they are mainly those whose experienced repression firsthand (80%). Twenty-four percent of respondents report to have relatives who suffered from Stalin’s repressions. Sixteen percent of Russians are confident that the punishment in the Stalin era was fair.
At the same time, a significant number of respondents (43%) who heard of repressions tend to agree with the statement that without repressions it would have been hard to maintain order. A little bit more Russians who strongly condemn repressions disagree with that idea (49% among all the respondents who heard of repressions; 57% - among those who heard of repressions and who have relatives being victims of mass repressions).
According to respondents, victims of repressions were those who disagreed with official policies (37%), those who enjoyed authority among ordinary people (22%) or betrayers, conspirators (24%), cheaters and thieves (23%).
Failure to provide a clear idea on the topic suggests that repressions are ambiguously perceived in mass consciousness which might be related to lack of information about those events. In this context, 72% of Russians who heard of repressions consider that it is important to tell the younger audiences more about repressions in order to prevent them in the future. They are opposed by 22% of those who think that those talks should be kept to a minimum as they might produce negative effects on the country’s image.
See the study results in Power Point.
The VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide survey was conducted on June 9-10, 2017. The survey involved 1,200 Russians aged 18 and over, 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 3.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
During Stalin’s reign many Soviet people became victims of Stalin’s repressions. Did you happen to hear about Stalin’s repressions? (closed-ended question, one answer, %) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
Yes | 90 | 76 | 82 | 89 | 96 | 94 |
No | 10 | 24 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 6 |
Don’t know | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What sources do you use to get information about repressions? (closed-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who heard of Stalin’s repressions) | |
| Total respondents |
Documentary literature, media publications | 52 |
Stories by friends, relatives | 48 |
TV and radio news and analytical programs | 46 |
Movie, TV series | 42 |
Fiction | 37 |
Lectures, lessons of history | 37 |
Internet (websites, social media) | 23 |
Museums, thematic expositions | 14 |
Other | 8 |
Don’ know | 1 |
Do you have any relatives in your family who were repressed? If yes, how well are you aware of their fate? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who heard of Stalin’s repressions) | |||||||
| Total respondents | Moscow and St.Petersburg | Million cities | More than 500 ths | 100–500 ths | Less than 100 ths | Rural area |
Yes, there were political prisoners in my family; I am well aware of their fate | 9 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 9 |
Yes, there were political prisoners in my family; I am generally aware of their fate | 9 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
Yes, there were political prisoners in my family; but I know nothing about their fate | 6 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
No, there were no political prisoners in my family | 71 | 70 | 74 | 81 | 72 | 71 | 69 |
Don’t know | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
In your opinion, were the court decisions concerning the political prisoners fair or unfair? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who heard of Stalin’s repressions) | |||
| Total respondents | Who have political prisoners in the family | Who have no political prisoners in the family |
Fair | 5 | 3 | 6 |
Rather fair | 11 | 6 | 13 |
Rather unfair | 35 | 32 | 36 |
Unfair | 33 | 48 | 28 |
Don’t know | 16 | 11 | 17 |
There are different viewpoints on how to treat Stalin’s repressions. Which of the statements do you most agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who heard of Stalin’s repressions) | ||||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more | Who have political prisoners in the family | Who have no political prisoners in the family |
Repressions were a compulsory measure that allowed Stalin maintaining order in the society | 43 | 43 | 48 | 44 | 44 | 36 | 33 | 45 |
Repressions cannot be justified; they are crimes against humanity | 49 | 53 | 42 | 49 | 49 | 52 | 57 | 47 |
Don’t know | 8 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
In your opinion, what kind of people suffered most from Stalin’s repressions? (closed-ended question, not more than two answers, % of those who heard of Stalin’s repressions) | |
| Total respondents |
Those who disagreed with the official policies | 37 |
Public enemies, betrayers, conspirators | 24 |
Thieves, cheaters, criminals | 23 |
Those who enjoyed authority among ordinary people | 22 |
Honest, open people | 16 |
Representatives of particular ethnic groups | 10 |
Other | 15 |
Don’t know | 9 |
There are different viewpoints on whether the younger generations should be told about repressions. Which of the statements do you most agree with? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who heard of Stalin’s repressions) | ||||||||||
| Total respondents | Men | Women | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more | Who have political prisoners in the family | Who have no political prisoners in the family |
More things should be told about victims of mass repressions; such crimes should not be repeated | 72 | 66 | 78 | 67 | 74 | 82 | 74 | 64 | 79 | 70 |
Stories about repressions have negative impact on the image of our country; it is better to avoid them | 22 | 27 | 18 | 27 | 21 | 13 | 21 | 29 | 16 | 23 |
Don’t know | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
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!