Russian Attitudes towards the Rule of Law: An Analysis of Survey Data

Disrespect for the rule of law is considered one of the defining characteristics of Russian political culture. As with many depictions of Russian political culture, little accurate data exist to substantiate this thesis. Drawing on social science survey evidence, this chapter examines the question of whether (and to what degree) ordinary Russians are sympathetic to the rule of law in principle. It demonstrates that the lawlessness of contemporary Russia cannot be explained by the attitudes of ordinary Russians to the rule of law as a normative value. In terms of their individual values, as opposed to their collective behaviour, Russians are not very different in any important way from other Europeans.