MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. More than half of Russians look back fondly on life in the former Soviet Union and believe that its collapse could have been avoided, according to a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the future of the Soviet Union.

"As many as 57% regret that the Soviet Union collapsed," VCIOM said on its Telegram channel.

The survey indicates that 79% of the so-called Khrushchev Thaw generation (born in 1947 and older) and 78% of the Era of Stagnation generation (born from 1947 to 1967) lament the USSR's fall. Among people born in 2001 and later, the so-called Digital Generation, this index amounts to 33%.

Experts believe that should a referendum on the Soviet Union’s future be organized today, two thirds of those polled would vote for its preservation. As arguments in favor of this decision, they cite an image of a great power (30%), social justice and stability (26%), and personal recollections of one’s younger years (26%). Those against reviving the Soviet past point to the inevitability of historic changes (24%) and the gaps in cultures and nationalities (21%).

The poll was conducted on February 15, 2026 among 1,600 Russians aged 18 and older.