How Russia’s Declining General Knowledge Threatens Its Global Influence

Russia is often seen as a rising and revisionist power that seeks to challenge the Western-led international order and restore its former glory. However, behind its aggressive and disruptive behavior lies a deeper problem: the decline in the level of general knowledge about the world among its population. This decline not only affects the quality of education and human capital in Russia, but also undermines its ability to project and maintain influence globally.

What are we talking about ?

General knowledge is the broad and diverse set of information and facts that one possesses about various topics, such as history, geography, science, culture, politics, and current affairs.

General knowledge is also a key indicator of the quality of education and human capital in a country. A well-educated and knowledgeable population is more likely to be productive, innovative, and competitive in the global economy. Moreover, general knowledge is a crucial asset for a country’s soft power, which is the ability to influence others through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion or force. A country with a high level of general knowledge can showcase its culture, values, and achievements to the world, and win respect and admiration from other nations.

How is Russia’s general knowledge declining?

According to various sources and indicators, Russia’s general knowledge is declining in several aspects. For example:

• According to the World Bank, Russia’s average score in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science, dropped from 492 in 2009 to 472 in 2018, below the OECD average of 487.
• According to the World Values Survey, the percentage of Russians who said they were very or fairly interested in politics decreased from 59% in 2006 to 46% in 2017, while the percentage of those who said they followed political news in newspapers, on TV, or on the radio at least once a week decreased from 74% to 64% in the same period.
• According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Russians who said they knew a lot or some about the European Union declined from 70% in 2015 to 58% in 2019, while the percentage of those who said they knew a lot or some about NATO declined from 62% to 52% in the same period.
• According to the Levada Center, a Russian independent polling agency, the percentage of Russians who said they had a good or very good knowledge of geography decreased from 55% in 2014 to 44% in 2019, while the percentage of those who said they had a poor or very poor knowledge of geography increased from 9% to 17% in the same period.

These trends suggest that Russia’s general knowledge is deteriorating in terms of both the quantity and the quality of information and facts that its population possesses about the world. This decline may be attributed to several factors, such as:

• The lack of investment and innovation in the education system, which suffers from outdated curricula, low teacher salaries, and insufficient infrastructure and resources.
• The dominance and censorship of the state-controlled media, which limits the diversity and credibility of the sources of information and news available to the public.
• The isolation and alienation of Russia from the international community, which reduces the opportunities and incentives for cultural and academic exchange and cooperation.
• The rise of nationalism and conservatism in the society, which discourages critical thinking and openness to different perspectives and values.

What are the implications of Russia’s declining general knowledge?

The decline in the level of general knowledge in Russia has significant implications for its global influence and role in the world :

• A weaker and less competitive economy, as Russia fails to diversify its economic structure and develop its human capital, and becomes more dependent on natural resources and vulnerable to external shocks.
• A more aggressive and unpredictable foreign policy, as Russia relies more on its hard power and military interventions to assert its interests and status, and becomes more paranoid and hostile towards its neighbors and rivals.
• A lower and less attractive soft power, as Russia loses its appeal and respect among other nations, and faces more criticism and sanctions for its human rights violations and democratic backsliding.
• A more divided and dissatisfied society, as Russia faces more social and political unrest and protests, and struggles to cope with the challenges of demographic decline, corruption, and inequality.