Poll: Russians’ views on Corporate Social Responsibility
Three-quarters of Russians think corporate social responsibility is important, says the All-Russian Centre for Public Opinion Research
07.08.2025
Article published on the asi.org.ru website
The results of a survey on corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes and people’s knowledge of the concept were published on the Centre’s website on 7 August.
“Today, CSR is a widely accepted practice. Employers have a general understanding of corporate social responsibility, principles have been established and generic approaches to its implementation have spread”, says the Research Centre.
At the same time, many people don’t seem to know what is meant by CSR. Fifty-seven percent of respondents don’t have any CSR affiliations, or said they had no involvement in it at all.
After being prompted, people were able to provide more informed responses. Forty-two percent said that social responsibility meant “implementing social projects for those who live in an area where a company operates”. A third (33%) associate CSR as freedom from corruption, and for 29% it is synonymous with quality products and the creation of new jobs.
When asked to give reasons why businesses are implementing CSR projects, Russians mainly chose positive ones:
- 38% believe that entrepreneurs want their work to benefit society;
- 25% say that companies are trying to increase their attractiveness as employers;
- 24% believe that employers are trying to gain support of the local population in areas where they operate.
Negative opinions were voiced less frequently. Twenty-one percent of respondents think that CSR programmes are an opportunity for companies’ self-promotion, 20% see them as attempts to improve their image with the authorities, and 9% believe CSR is a way of compensating for the negative impacts of a company’s activities.
Around 75% of those surveyed say it is important for a company employer to be socially responsible. This answer was given most often by women (84%) and by residents of rural areas and small towns (84% and 81% respectively).
However, views on social responsibility are changing. In 2004, the main duty of a socially important business was to comply with relevant legislation and their company employee responsibilities. In 2025, expectations have become more complex and generation-dependent. The generation of “numbers”, “thaw” and “stagnation” is more interested in a broader interpretation of CSR – charity, anti-corruption policies and cooperation with trade unions.
Younger millennials, however, focus on CSR in its narrowest sense – social programmes for employees.
