Eugene Huskey and Alexander Obolonsky

Abstract

This paper offers a preliminary analysis of surveys of Russian civil servants that were conducted from May 2002 to May 2003. The questionnaires sought responses on the professional life of civil servants as well as their attitudes on key political issues. The discussion and accompanying tables assess levels of job satisfaction in the civil service; the relative attractiveness of careers in the state sector; perceptions of job security; and the factors that influence the behavior of civil servants. The questionnaire results also illustrate perceptions of center-periphery relations in Russian politics; levels of trust toward politicians and key religious and national groups; and attitudes toward American military involvement in areas that had previously been part of the Soviet sphere of influence.