Dynamics of Russians’ Perceptions of Patriotism

Abstract

Patriotism is one of the broadest and loosely defined concepts of social and political science. Commonly, it is viewed as a political principle and a person’s sense of belonging to the country. The verbal acceptance and approval of patriotism in Russian society increased throughout the entire period of scientific observations 2006–2023, with the dynamics being particularly intense in the period 2012–2018. Foreign policy appears to be the major factor in the growth of Russians’ patriotic sentiments. Loyalty to the authorities as a component of patriotism practically did not change in the period 2006–2018, and then increased rapidly and significantly in the period 2018–2023. It is fair to assume that such dynamics is associated not with foreign policy, but with in-ternal socio-political factors.