Shaping Public Opinion in Electoral Authoritarian Russia

Session Submission Type: Created Panel

Session Description

This panel brings together scholars who study public opinion and elections in contemporary Russia. Poltoratskaia first examines the factors influencing the electoral preferences of United Russia voters. The paper finds that UR voters are most motivated by particularistic benefits. Greene then examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on regime support in Russia, finding that hardship and emotion shift political views. Next, Hakimov investigates the transnational movement to monitor Russia’s 2021 State Duma elections. This study of the Russian diaspora provides an interesting contrast to public opinion and electoral support of citizens inside Russia. Finally, Vatansever examines the persistence of energy subsidies in Russia, with a particular focus on public support for these policies. In sum, these papers shed light on levels of regime support (or opposition) in electoral authoritarian Russia.

Sub Unit

• Division 13: Politics of Communist and Former Communist Countries

Individual Presentations

• Assessing Electoral Preferences of United Russia Voters - Viktoriia Poltoratskaia, Central European University

• COVID, Contagion & Contestation: Longitudinal Evidence from Russia - Samuel A. Greene, King's College London

• Monitoring the 2021 Russian Parliamentary Election from Abroad - Grigory Hakimov, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Public Perception on Energy Prices: Social Contract in Putin's Russia - Adnan Vatansever, King's College London

Chair

• Ora John Reuter University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Discussant

• Margarita Zavadskaya University of Helsinki