The Dynamics of Religiosity in Modern RussiaBased on Studies in the Metropolitan Area

Abstract

The status and dynamics of religiosity in modern Russia are considered. The distinctive features of religious consciousness and behavior have been fixed proceeding from the system of indexes and empirical indicators developed. In the course of comparative representative studies, which have been accomplished in the metropolitan area over the last three decades on the basis of a single methodology, it has been fixed that, at the level of self-identification, approximately half of the population define themselves as believers, this value decreasing over time. The use of the complex typology of religiosity shows that the share of church believers proper, who observe the canons at the level of both consciousness and behavior, is substantially smaller: in the last five years, it has been within 6–8%. The motives to participate in religious rites are predominantly of a general cultural character, determined by family, relational, and national traditions.