The Impact of President Putin on Popular Support for Russia's Regime

The more important Vladimir Putin is said to be for mobilizing support for the Russian regime, the greater the potential void when he leaves office. This article empirically tests the impact that Vladimir Putin has had on public opinion through an original analysis of New Russia Barometer data. After reviewing the multiple roles of a president, it reports how the Russian public has evaluated President Putin's popularity during his period in office. It then tests the extent to which this evaluation has added to support for the Federation regime. Based on these findings, it draws conclusions about the impact of succession on the consolidation of the institutions of the Russian Federation.