Almost Half of Russians Say Culture War Afoot Against Their Country: Poll

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russians are split on whether other countries are really trying to "cancel" all things Russian, with 42% saying there is a culture war being waged against their country, a poll out Wednesday found.

Forty-three percent of those surveyed by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) on December 21 said they did not believe that the culture war against Russia was real, down from 47% in April.

Only 11% said they had been affected by "cancel culture," which is a practice of "canceling" or mass shaming, often for political or ideological reasons. A further 86% said they had not personal experience of being discriminated against.

More than 60% could not say whether Russia was feeling the effect of Western social pressure, while 6% said there were no consequences.

Five percent said that "cancel culture" had an impact on Russian athletes, whereas 4% said it affected cultural ties. Three percent said they expected negative attitudes toward Russia to continue weighing on tourism and other areas of life.

Asked whether the Russian government needs to do anything about it, 53% said it should counter the culture war against Russia, down from 60% in April, while 30% said it did not have to.