Official sociology: The departure from Kherson did not come as a shock to the residents of Russia
The departure of the Russian army from Kherson did not come as a shock to the residents of Russia - unlike the politicized public on the Internet, ordinary people practically did not notice the tragic event. Moreover, there is neither an increase in protest sentiments nor a drop in the ratings of the authorities - on the contrary, the moral self-awareness of Russians has only become better in recent days.
Such data from a sociological survey were published by the Public Opinion Foundation (see the infographic below the text of the news), a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Contrary to expectations, the retreat from Kherson did not have a clear negative effect on Russian sentiment.
Putin's rating +2% (77)
Government rating +1% (50)
“The withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson” was called the event of the week by only 14%, events around the Northern Military District as a whole – 32%.
The protest potential did not increase due to angry patriots either. Sociologists record a decrease, only 16% are ready to personally take part in a protest action (-2 percentage points per week).
And, most importantly, there is an increase in calm moods, immediately from 35 to 46%. That is, the information campaign about the risks of further advancement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not have a significant impact on Russian citizens.
These data indicate a fairly wide room for maneuver, as some experts say, “on the ground.” Events at the front affect public sentiment, but not in a fatal way. In two weeks, when the New Year's bustle begins, this influence will become even weaker.
Well, yes, political telegram channels still remain an information bubble. The storm in a teacup did not spill out beyond the site,” comments Mikhail Karyagin, an expert at the Center for Political Conjuncture.
The reason that the seizure of the Russian city by Ukraine did not come as a shock to the population of Russia, Volgograd political scientist Alexey Saigin sees the apathy of the population.
However, Saigin believes, this same apathy is also a negative signal in conditions of mobilization.
“Kherson is like Soviet deposits and the funded part of a pension. The ruling elite said “we’ll return, but later,” and the population was happy with this idea.
This position is very comfortable. It gives the ruling elite a wide maneuver for action, and the population the opportunity to sit with their hands folded, declaring “nothing can be done” and “they know better.”
In the conditions of absenteeism in Russian society, there cannot be anything else.
Accordingly, any mobilization measures in such a situation are useless. This applies not only to political life, but also to war. Such mobilized people will not show any activity. The population has one flag (which increased the ranking by 2%). But they will stand around this flag, and not walk with it,” the commentator believes.
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