The most important rights and freedoms declared in the Russian Constitution are social rights to health care, education and social security.
MOSCOW, December 4, 2018. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) and State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia present the data of the study on how well the Russian citizens are aware of the Constitution’s content, and what constitutional rights they consider as the most important.
The Index* of awareness of the constitution’s content reached 52 p.p. which is higher than the 2016 figure (46 p.). Today most of Russians say they are aware of the content of the Russian Constitution and its fundamental provisions: 69% have a general idea; 6% are well aware. However almost one quarter (23%) do not have a general idea of the Constitution.
The most important rights and freedoms declared in the Constitution are right to health protection (49%), right to education (45%), right to labor (40%), and right to social security (38%). More than one-third of respondents also cite “right to life” and “right to housing” (36%, for each). Fewer respondents mention “right to protect rights and freedoms including judicial protection” (30%), “right to freedom and personal security” (29%), “freedom of travel countrywide and abroad” (27%). Every fifth (23%) point to “freedom of thought and speech”; a further 19% consider “protection of private life” is essential. Russians show personal interest in laws related to citizens’ social security (54%), health protection (46%) and labor rights’ protection (41%). Fourteen percent of respondents show interest in the Constitution.
Most of Russians studied the Constitution at the university (38%) or school (30%). In addition, every fourth (23%) studied the Constitution’s fundamentals on their own initiative. Fifteen percent learned it for professional purposes. Every fifth (18%) did not learn the Russian Constitution (42% among those who have in complete secondary education).
The survey suggests that two-thirds of Russians (66%) do not know the year when the Russian Constitution was adopted. The right answer (1993) was given by just 13% of respondents. Nine percent answered “1991”; and 5%, “1992”. At the same time, 22% consider that the 1991 August coup d’état happened in the same year when the Constitution was adopted; a further 10% say it was the same year when the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the RSFSR was adopted. Every tenth (9%) pointed to default; 9% mentioned the conflict between the Russia’s Supreme Soviet and the Russian president.
*Index of awareness of the Constitution shows how much Russians are aware of the Constitution’s content. The higher the index, the higher the awareness level. The index is based on the question: “Do you personally know the content of the Russian Constitution and its basic provisions?” The index is calculated as a difference of the sum of answers “Yes, I am well aware of the basic provisions”, “I have a general idea of the basic provisions” and the answer “I have no idea”. The Index is measured in points and can vary between -100 and 100.
The VCIOM survey was commissioned by the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia and conducted on November 27, 2018. The survey involved 1,600 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 1.8%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
The 2009-2016 results are based on household surveys.
Do you personally know the content of the Russian Constitution and its basic provisions? If yes, how well do you know them? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||
| 2016 | 2018 |
I am well aware of the basic provisions | 8 | 6 |
I have a general idea of the basic provisions of the Constitution | 64 | 69 |
I have no idea about the Constitution | 26 | 23 |
Don’t know | 2 | 2 |
Index of awareness of the Constitution* | 46 | 52 |
Now I will read a list of fundamental rights and freedoms declared in the Russian Constitution. Which ones do you consider the most important? (closed-ended question, up to 7 answers, % of total respondents) | ||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2009 | 2013 | 2018 |
Right to health care | 40 | 47 | 43 | 51 | 49 | 49 |
Right to education | 23 | 29 | 24 | 30 | 30 | 45 |
Right to labor | 45 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 47 | 40 |
Right to social security (in old age, in case of disease, etc. | 33 | 40 | 36 | 38 | 31 | 38 |
Right to life | 45 | 49 | 58 | 61 | 56 | 36 |
Right to housing | 32 | 38 | 41 | 43 | 40 | 36 |
Right to protect rights and freedoms including judicial protection | 16 | 20 | 23 | 28 | 23 | 30 |
Right to freedom and personal security | 37 | 40 | 52 | 54 | 51 | 29 |
Freedom of travel countrywide and abroad | 9 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 27 |
Right to rest | 31 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 37 | 23 |
Freedom of thought and speech | 19 | 17 | 22 | 32 | 32 | 23 |
Right to private property, entrepreneurship | 13 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 21 |
Private life protection | 24 | 25 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 19 |
Right to mother language | 10 | 11 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 18 |
Right to elect and to be elected | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
Religious freedoms d and freedom of conscience | 8 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 15 |
Right to participate in public and political life | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
Freedom of association | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
I did not think of that/ Don’t know | 8 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
Now I will read a list of fundamental rights and freedoms declared in the Russian Constitution. Which ones do you consider the most important? (closed-ended question, up to 7 answers, % of total respondents) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
Right to health care | 49 | 32 | 41 | 51 | 58 | 51 |
Right to education | 45 | 44 | 43 | 49 | 47 | 42 |
Right to labor | 40 | 28 | 27 | 41 | 52 | 41 |
Right to social security (in old age, in case of disease, etc. | 38 | 22 | 32 | 37 | 45 | 42 |
Right to life | 36 | 47 | 41 | 38 | 33 | 31 |
Right to housing | 36 | 30 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 34 |
Right to protect rights and freedoms including judicial protection | 30 | 36 | 34 | 34 | 28 | 24 |
Right to freedom and personal security | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 25 |
Freedom of travel countrywide and abroad | 27 | 33 | 31 | 28 | 26 | 22 |
Right to rest | 23 | 26 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 23 |
Freedom of thought and speech | 23 | 38 | 32 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
Right to private property, entrepreneurship | 21 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 15 |
Private life protection | 19 | 27 | 24 | 17 | 19 | 14 |
Right to mother language | 18 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 14 | 17 |
Right to elect and to be elected | 15 | 21 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 12 |
Religious freedoms d and freedom of conscience | 15 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 13 |
Right to participate in public and political life | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 |
Freedom of association | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
I did not think of that/ Don’t know | 9 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 13 |
Now I will read a list of fundamental rights and freedoms declared in the Russian Constitution. Which ones do you consider the most interesting? (closed-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of total respondents) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
Citizens’ social provision | 54 | 42 | 54 | 54 | 53 | 58 |
Citizens’ rights in health care | 46 | 37 | 43 | 44 | 52 | 48 |
Protection of labor rights | 41 | 38 | 39 | 46 | 46 | 33 |
Constitutional fundamentals | 14 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 12 |
Opportunity to participate in the work of public bodies | 9 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
Citizens’ right to appeal to public bodies | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
Rules of organization of rallies and demonstrations | 6 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
None | 10 | 25 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 5 |
Other | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
Don’t know | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
Did you happen to study the Constitution to get familiar with its particular provisions? If yes, under what circumstances? (closed-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who know or have a general idea of the Constitution’s fundamental provisions) | |||||
| % of those who know or have a general idea of the Constitution’s fundamental provisions | Elementary (incomplete secondary) education | Secondary education (school, vocational school) | Specialized secondary education (technical school) | Incomplete higher (not less than three years in a higher education institution), higher education |
University studies | 38 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 55 |
School years | 30 | 30 | 34 | 30 | 29 |
My personal initiative | 23 | 11 | 26 | 22 | 24 |
For work purposes | 15 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 19 |
I did not study the Russian Constitution | 18 | 42 | 28 | 22 | 11 |
Other | 3 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
Don’t know | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Do you remember the year when the Russian Constitution was adopted? (open-ended question, one answer; answers of at least 1% of respondents, % of total respondents) | |
| Total respondents |
1993 | 13 |
1991 | 9 |
1992 | 5 |
1990 | 1 |
1994 | 1 |
1995 | 1 |
1996 | 1 |
1997 | 1 |
2000 | 1 |
I do not remember/do not know that | 66 |
Do you remember what happened on the eve of the adoption of the Russian Constitution, what happened in that year? (closed-ended question, any number of answers, % of total respondents) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24
| Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
August coup d’état | 22 | 9 | 21 | 26 | 23 | 24 |
Adoption of the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the RSFSR | 10 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 10 |
Default, economic crisis | 9 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 8 |
Conflict between the Supreme Soviet and the Russian president | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
Elections of Russian State Duma deputies | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
Congress of Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR | 6 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
Voting on President’s impeachment | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
October red march in Ostankino | 5 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
None of the above mentioned | 9 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
No idea/ Don’t know | 40 | 33 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 44 |
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!