Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 2020 NISPAcee On-line Conference for PhD students Program Overview The 2020 NISPAcee On-line Conference for PhD students Author(s) Yulia Karpich Higher School of Economics Moscow Russian Federation Title «Conservative» Voting in Russia: The Influence of Religiosity File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Yulia Karpich Abstract This paper presents the outcomes of empirical research on the religiosity influence on the political choice of Russian Orthodox believers. The research assumptions: (1) political choice is determined by a combination of individual beliefs, practice and identity, each can be both religious and secular; (2) secular beliefs play a key role in political choice; beliefs can help evaluate behaviour of political actors and voters' ability to influence the political situation. In-depth interviews with Orthodox believers are used as data (Lipetsk Oblast, 2019-2020). The research has revealed that a religious component in a combination of beliefs, practices and identities varies depending on the level of religiosity. Beliefs are more important for the most and least religious groups. Specifically, beliefs on the importance of political issues and on the role of morality in political actors behaviour. In combination with secular beliefs they leads to protest voting and absenteeism. The choice of the middle group is influenced by religious practices. The combination of religious and secular practices can turn political participation into a habit.
