Experience of investigating the spiritual and moral state of Russian society

Abstract

This article examines the spiritual and moral state of Russian society based on repeated studies conducted between 2003 and 2020 in the regional centres of seven regions of the Russian Federation. The study analyses self-assessments of religious feelings and the importance of values such as “moral qualities”, “religious faith” and “religious activity.” It also explores perceptions of moral norms and deviations from them, as well as the life orientations of various urban population groups. The value of “moral norms and morality” has been and remains important for the majority of urban dwellers, although its significance is gradually decreasing. The importance of values such as “religious faith” and especially “religious activity” is substantially lower, but they remain important for a minority. There is a correlation between the importance of “moral norms and morality” and the importance of “religious faith”. The spiritual and moral values of urban residents are reflected in their actual time spent on religious activities, that, however, is relatively modest. Urban dwellers’ perceptions of moral virtues as norms remain stable and identical for both working citizens and students. Among the dominant life orientations of urban dwellers are “material well-being”, “physical health”, “work for earnings”, “children”, and “marriage, family”. For the religious, values like “children” and “marriage, family” are more significant. Evaluations of various aspects of daily life practically do not differ between believers and non-believers. According to self-assessments of respondents, the moral state of Russian society is improving, despite signs of blurring distinctions between virtues and non-virtues as norms and deviations from norms observed between 2007 and 2020. However, evaluations of the moral state of Russian society by urban dwellers are lower than their assessments of the conditions of their daily lives and their social well-being. Negative assessments of justice in Russian society influence evaluations of its moral state. The preservation and strengthening of traditional spiritual and moral values will contribute to the social adaptation of urban residents in the new social reality.