ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the nature of the Soviet citizens' threat perceptions and try to explain the variations in views. It provides four potential influences on Soviet perceptions: demographic characteristics, the attentiveness of the public, ideology, and beliefs about the Soviet Union's status in the world. The inability of the Soviet economy to feed its people and maintain its economic position in the world made the country vulnerable to debt, austerity measures and economic dependence. The notion that prestige carries responsibility may be a source of concern for Soviet citizens who fear superpower confrontation. Economic insecurity, however, may serve to offset threat by highlighting economic interdependence to the Soviet citizen. The Soviet public is greatly influenced by nationality and other demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and education. Nationality is especially salient because the nationality make-up of the various post-Soviet republics is different than that of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
