A Social Portrait of a Contemporary Believer

Results of a survey (N = 1,800) conducted during 2000 in various administrative areas of Russia with regard to respondents' opinions on political, economic, & social processes in Russia are discussed with an emphasis on religious issues. Several findings are reported: There were substantially higher percentages of female believers (68.4%) as compared to male ones in the sample as a whole. Respondents identifying themselves as nonconfessional believers tended to be younger & to have higher than average incomes & education. Political preferences of orthodox Christians largely coincided with those of nonbelievers. Followers of Islam were more indifferent socially & politically, less educated, of lower-income groups, & more supportive of the communist ideology. 7 Tables, 7 References. V. Oboronko