Real Russians Are Orthodox – Poll

23/11/2012 MOSCOW, November 23 (RIA Novosti) – A growing number of Russians consider the Russian Orthodox Church to be a necessary feature of their national identity, a recent public opinion poll showed. Some 38 percent of survey respondents said it was “very important” to be an Orthodox believer if one wants to be considered “an authentic Russian,” according to a report released earlier this week by independent pollster Levada Center. That is more than double the figure in a similar poll in 1996 – 15 percent – and up from 32 percent in 2003