Euroasian Jewish News

New Poll Suggests Xenophobia On The Rise Among Russians

A new survey released on August 27 shows that a growing number of Russians favor limiting the influx of non-ethnic Russian immigrants into the country.

In a study conducted in July, independent pollster Levada Center found that 66 percent of those surveyed favor limiting the presence of non-Russians, compared to last year, when the figure was 54 percent.

Both this year's and last year's findings show a downward trend from an all-time high of 81 percent in 2013.

The respondents also named ethnic Roma, Chinese, and Vietnamese as the most undesirable ethnic groups on Russian territory.

Almost one-third of those surveyed were against imposing any limit to immigration.

The poll also showed that 19 percent of respondents supported the "Russia for Russians" slogan, almost double compared to 10 percent in 2017.

Some 39 percent of Russians were in favor of overt ethnic discrimination in classified ads for accommodation and jobs compared to 21 percent of those who expressed "bewilderment" or "indignation" over such practices, according to Levada’s findings.

RFE/RL