Support for Emancipative Values in Russia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

We analyze country-wise and individual trends in emancipative values in Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the relations between values and various personal COVID-19 pandemic experiences. Using panel data from 3 waves of the “Values in Crisis” survey, we find a tiny increase in choice values and an equally tiny decrease in equality values between June 2020 and December 2021. Negative personal economic experience during the pandemic reduces support for equality values whereas prospective economic concerns are positively, although weakly, associated with equality values. Neither personal experience of COVID-19 nor health-related anxiety are related to support for gender equality. Neither indicator of negative pandemic experience correlates with individual choice values. Overall, emancipative orientations seem to be reluctant to the short-term worsening of living conditions in Russia, both at the societal and the individual levels.

Keywords

• emancipative values
• choice values
• equality values
• covid-19
• “values in crisis”