MOSCOW, December 3. /TASS/ Russians’ belief in the existence of secret forces controlling the world has decreased compared with the 1990s, with almost half of those surveyed no longer believing in such theories, according to poll results published on the analytical center VCIOM’s (Russian Public Opinion Research Center) website.

"The results show that the appeal of conspiracy theories among Russians, which was so strong in the 1990s, has noticeably weakened. The outlook on events has become more rational: today, Russian society is more likely to reject the existence of secret organizations controlling the course of events in the country and the world," the survey says.

According to the poll, in 2025 46% of respondents do not believe in the existence of such organizations, while in 1992 only 26% of Russians held this view. Young people are more skeptical of conspiracy theories - the "digital" generation (2001 and younger - 67%) and younger millennials (1992-2000 - 66%) tend to dismiss their existence. At the same time, the older generation of Russians, mostly the "stagnation" generation (1948-1967 - 50%) and the "thaw" generation (born before 1947 - 44%), continue to hold belief in secret forces.

As noted in the study, 63% of surveyed Russians believe that human behavior is primarily governed by will and reason rather than fate (10%), material laws (9%), or chance (5%). The all-Russian telephone poll "VCIOM-Sputnik" was conducted on October 11, 2025. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18 and older participated in the survey.