The majority of Russians (63 percent) do not believe in politicians’ genuine religious feelings while watching them attending Orthodox services, a survey conducted by the Kremlin-connected Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) pollster said on Thursday.
Only 18 percent of respondents said they believed in politicians’ religious devoutness. Many Russian political figures started their career back in atheist Soviet times where the ruling party’s ideology replaced religion.
Among the respondents most skeptical about officials’ religious views are the residents of large cities (77 percent), people with higher education (73 percent) and those whose monthly income exceeds $700 (76 percent), FOM said on its website.
According to the poll, Russians loyal to President-elect and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tend to believe in politicians’ faith (23 percent) as well as rural residents who view politicians as true believers (29 percent).
The survey was held on April 7-8 among 1,500 respondents in 43 Russian regions.