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From the Red Belt to the Bible Belt? Religiosity and Voting in Russia since 2011

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2022

Andrey Shcherbak Open the ORCID record for Andrey Shcherbak [Opens in a new window]  and
Maria Ukhvatova
Andrey Shcherbak*
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Comparative Social Research, Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia
Maria Ukhvatova
Affiliation:
Laboratory for Comparative Social Research, Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
*
Corresponding author. Email: ascherbak@hse.ru
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Abstract

The article explores the relationship between Orthodox religiosity and voting in Russia in 2011–2018. Using the theoretical framework of desecularization from above, which claims that church structures play a key role in the religious renaissance policy, we argue that the rise of the political influence of the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) may be explained by its capacity for dissemination of traditional values that ultimately results in votes for United Russia and President Vladimir Putin in national elections. This study reveals the emergence of a new area on Russia’s political map—the belt – into Belt, which combines higher levels of Orthodox religiosity and pro-Kremlin voting in national elections. Using multiple empirical strategies we construct an index of religiosity on the regional level and identify the Orthodox Belt regions, test the relationship between Orthodox religiosity and voting in the national elections in 2011–2018, and test the differences in value orientations and electoral support between the Orthodox Belt regions and other ones. Finally, two model regions of the Orthodox Belt—Tambov and Lipetsk—are explored. We conclude that non-Orthodox Belt regions in Russia with higher Orthodox religiosity, conservatism, and loyalty are an emerging trend in Russian political geography.

Keywords

OrthodoxBible beltpolitical geographyelections
Type
Article
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 51 , Issue 1: Special Issue on Nation-Building in the Post-Soviet States , January 2023 , pp. 177 - 204
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Association for the Study of Nationalities

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