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Socialist Resurgence or Soviet Nostalgia in Russia?
Recent polls conducted by the Levada Center show a far-reaching disconnect between the level of support for the Soviet system of governance and left-wing values.
Ever since the collapse of state-based socialism in the former Eastern Bloc, surveys have been conducted consistently to help pinpoint public opinions surrounding recent reforms (and their outcomes), economic ideologies, and more. These surveys have assisted with understanding the attitudes of ordinary civilians with regards to ideological leftism (irrespective of individual ideologies) as well as the Soviet political and economic system.
While some mainstream outlets like Fox News often bring on viciously anti-communist Eastern Europeans and Latin Americans to discuss how “horrible” socialism was or still is, polls often show that Russians (among other nationalities) have rather positive views on their lives pre-1991. In fact, this has grown significantly over the last few years, as recent polling from the country has suggested.
Across a total of 20 surveys done by the Levada Center between February 1996 and August 2021, the most recent survey conducted featured the highest number of respondents that prefer “the Soviet system” as opposed to…
