Level and characteristics of interfaith tension of the Bottom Volga area

The article analyzes the data of a sociological survey conducted in the spring of 2020 of the Bottom Volga area by the research team of the Department of history, political science and sociology of the Saratov statelaw Academy. Primary sociological information was collected using the Internet survey of respondents using theGoogle forms service. The sample size was 1,100 people. Representatives of the Astrakhan region (184 respondents),Volgograd region (307) and Saratov region (609) were interviewed. The empirical study allowed us to determine theinfluence of respondents’ religion on the perception of religious threats, as well as problems of interfaith dialogue.The regional specifics of the quality of interfaith relations were revealed, and the levels of religious tension in theAstrakhan, Volgograd and Saratov regions were compared. The survey revealed hidden tensions in the region’sinterfaith relations (including among the Orthodox majority). Representatives of the Muslim community showed anoptimistic attitude in their responses. A potentially dangerous predisposition to politicizing religion has beenidentified among those groups that are under pressure to identify with their faith. The study revealed: there is ahigh level of concern about issues of faith among representatives of the Muslim community; a positive attitudetowards increasing the role of religion in socio-political life, increasing the level of secularization of society.Atheists of the Lower Volga region showed open dissatisfaction with the state of religious relations in the region.Atheists of the Lower Volga region showed open dissatisfaction with the state of religious relations in the region.This group appears as an object of the religious security system, which under pressure is transformed into asubject protesting against secularization processes. The author concludes that the main strategy should be tostudy and solve the internal problems of religious minorities, and a complementary strategy can be to counteractexternal (foreign) religious threats.