Dynamics
The Chronicles research project does not simply record the immediate moods of Russians. We conduct polls on a regular basis to track how people's attitudes towards the war in Ukraine change over time. These dynamics allow us to see underlying trends and understand how events affect public opinion.
We stand for more complex and nuanced understanding of polling data by showing that there is a complex reality behind every isolated figure. Our goal is not just to provide the isolated figures, but to take you beyond the ‘bare numbers’ and give you the fullest possible understanding of what is going on in Russian society — the kind of multifaceted picture that data in dynamics can provide. In addition, regular polls allow you to notice shifts in public opinion that may not be obvious in a single survey, and show how various events and information campaigns affect Russians' attitudes towards the war.
Response rate
The response rate (RR) is an indicator that reflects the proportion of successfully completed interviews out of the total number of contact attempts. Our studies use the RR6 indicator, which takes into account both complete and partially completed interviews.
RR6 = (I + P) / (I + P + R + NC + O)
where:
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I — complete interviews
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P — interrupted (partially completed) interviews
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R — refusals to participate
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NC — numbers without established contact (no answer, busy, etc.)
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O — linguistic, mental, and technical communication problems
Response rate | Survey date |
|---|---|
3,5% | October 2025 |
3,4% | February 2025 |
2,8% | September 2024 |
7,1% | January 2024 |
4,4% | October 2023 |
4,8% | July 2023 |
4,4% | February 2023 |
4,3% | October 2022 |
9,2% | September 29-30, 2022 |
11,4% | September 21-22, 2022 |
Consistent supporters of war and peace
In our research, we do not focus solely on the question of support for the “SVO” because the answers to this question cover a wide range of opinions, from “I lie because I fear persecution” to “I volunteered to go to the front.” To obtain more informative results, we use a combination of three questions:
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Do you support or not support Russia's military operation in Ukraine, find it difficult to answer unequivocally, or do not want to answer this question?
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If Vladimir Putin decides to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine and begin negotiations for a truce without achieving the original objectives of the SVO, would you support or oppose such a decision?
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In your opinion, in the event of a budget deficit, where should government funds be spent first—on the armed forces or on social services?
We include in the group of consistent supporters of the war those who simultaneously:
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expressed support for the “special military operation”;
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would not support the decision to withdraw troops from Ukraine and begin peace negotiations without achieving the goals of the “special military operation”;
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believe that in conditions of a budget deficit, the government's priority should be the army, not social services.
We include in the group of consistent supporters of peace those who simultaneously:
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did not express support for the “special military operation”;
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would support the decision to withdraw troops from Ukraine and begin peace negotiations without achieving the goals of the “special military operation”;
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believe that in conditions of budget deficit, the government's priority should be the social sphere, not the army.
Globally, there is a tendency for people's participation in polls to decline: studies show that response rates have been declining over the past 30 years. And while we have seen some decline in response rates, for example during mobilization, overall our response rates remain relatively stable.
We are working to maintain high levels of respondent engagement: we are adapting our methods, taking into account the peculiarities of Russian reality and the specifics of our survey system. Our goal is to ensure that our data is as representative and reliable as possible, even in the face of declining engagement in surveys around the world and in Russia.
Tell me, please, do you support or do not support the military operation of Russia on the territory of Ukraine, find it difficult to answer, or do not want to answer this question?
Chronicles 1.0: Tell me, please, do you support or not support Russian military actions on the territory of Ukraine?
Chronicles 2.0 (подвыборка): Tell me, please, do you support or do not support the military operation of Russia on the territory of Ukraine, find it difficult to answer, or do not want to answer this question?
If Vladimir Putin decides to withdraw Russian troops from the territory of Ukraine and begins negotiations on a truce WITHOUT achieving the initially set goals of the military operation, will you support or not support such a decision by Vladimir Putin?
In the conditions of budget deficit, in your opinion, where should public funds be spent first — on the armed forces or the social sphere?
Subjective assessment of financial situation:
A — There's not even enough money for food
B — There is enough money for food, but not enough to buy clothes and shoes
C — There is enough money to buy clothes and shoes, but not enough to buy large household appliances
D — We have enough money to buy major appliances, but we can't buy a new car
E — There is enough money for everything, except for such expensive acquisitions as an apartment, a house
F — We have no material difficulties, if necessary we could buy an apartment or a house
Self-assessment of financial position*:
*Chronicles 3.0: Which of the following has happened to you in the last month in connection with the current situation in the country?
Chronicles 4.0: Which of the following has happened to you in the last month and a half in connection with the current situation in the country?
Chronicles 5.0: Which of the following has happened to you since the start of the military operation in connection with the current situation in the country?
Chronicles 11.0: Which of the following has happened to you over the past year in connection with the current situation in the country?
Family income:
In the next six months, do you think your financial situation (your family's situation) will definitely worsen, rather worsen, stay the same, rather improve, or definitely improve?
Chronicles 2.0: Wording about “the next 12 months”
Chronicles 3.0: Wording about "in connection with sanctions"
Are you personally or someone from your family involved or has been involved in military actions within the framework of the special operation in Ukraine? Or are there no such people?
From what sources do you get information about Russia's military operation on the territory of Ukraine, whether they are Russian, Ukrainian, or some other?
Do you or do you not use a VPN?
Please tell me, in the last two years, how often have you used the internet?
Tell me, over the past year, did you or did you not have to question your attitude toward special operations at least sometimes?
