Historical and contemporary predictors of regional cultural differences in individualism-collectivism in Russia

Population and Economics. 2026. Vol. 10. No. 1. P. 74–92.

Grigoriev A., Gallyamova A., Grigoryev D., Berry J. W.

Grounded in the ecocultural framework, this study explores the historical and contemporary predictors of regional cultural differences in individualism-collectivism (IND-COL) across Russia, focusing on private land ownership in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and current employment in agriculture. The analysis reveals that regions with a higher prevalence of private land ownership in 1877 and 1905 exhibit stronger IND tendencies in modern times, suggesting a continuity of cultural traits. Additionally, contemporary factors, such as the share of the workforce in agriculture and ethnic composition, particularly the proportion of ethnic Russians, are found to be significant predictors of IND-COL differences. However, urbanization does not show a significant relationship with regional cultural variations in IND-COL, indicating that while it may be associated with IND, it is not a primary predictor. The findings emphasize that factors rooted in subsistence strategies exert a profound and lasting influence on regional cultural differences, persisting even through the sweeping societal transformations brought about by the Soviet era.

Keywords: urbanization, agriculture, historical continuity, regional culture, ethnic composition of population, individualism-collectivism, subsistence strategies, private land ownership