MOSCOW, 23 May 2022. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a study on the following issues: how the Russian views regarding the influence of the secret organizations on the society and the impact of mysterious forces on human behavior have changed over the recent three decades.

Over thirty years the balance of views on what human life and behavior are governed by has changed. The number of Russians who negate secret organizations that rule the world is dominant (51%). Those are basically young Russians aged 18–34 (62–64%) and active Internet users (63%).

Thirty-seven percent of respondents tend to think that secret societies do exist. This viewpoint is often shared by those aged 65 and older (49%) and active TV viewers (48%). The opinions are primarily shaped by respondent age and media consumption. The percentage of those who negate conspiracy theories is growing more rapidly than the share of their supporters is declining. Over the three decades the number of persons who do not believe in secret societies has doubled whereas the number of those who do believe in them has reduced 1.5-fold.

Today most of Russians have never felt that their behavior is governed by some mysterious forces; thirty years ago every second respondent reported mysticism (88% vs 48% in 1992). The number of those who happen to experience the influence of mysterious forces has reduced fourfold (9% vs 36% in 1992).

Sixty-three percent of Russians say that human behavior is shaped by human will and intelligence; most often they are women (68%) and those aged 18–24 and 35–44 (70%). Thirty percent of respondents rely on objective laws; this stance is typical of men (17%). In 2022, 14% of respondents believe in providence and coincidence, which is almost three times less that the 1992 levels. Over thirty years respondent’s subjectivity has nearly doubled, meaning that more people rely on themselves and not on external forces or reasons.

Russian nationwide VCIOM-Sputnik telephone survey was conducted on April 28, 2022. A total of 1,600 of Russians aged 18 and older took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews using a stratified random sample based on a complete list of Russian mobile phone numbers. 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 to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.