The Political Values of the State and Private Sectors of the Russian Middle Class

This article provides an analysis of the political values of the Russian middle class. In contrast to those scholars who have viewed the middle classes as bastions of liberal democracy, we demonstrate that most members support the regime, and favor statist over liberal values. However, the study also demonstrates that the middle class is not a homogeneous and cohesive body. A crucial divide here is between those members who depend on the state for their livelihood and those who work in the private sectors of the economy, and there are also important generational differences. The study also compares the values of the middle class with those of the general population.