A new study, conducted by the independent Levada Center, on how Russians view people who deviate “from socially accepted norms” has found that nearly one in five Russians would advocate “eliminating” the LGBTQ community.
The poll was conducted from 20 to 26 February earlier this year, asking 1,614 Russians over the age of 18 from both urban and rural settings.
Despite the worrying number, this is actually a fall from when the poll was last done in 2015. Back then, 21% of Russians were in favour