After the presidential elections in August 2020, Belarus experienced an unprecedented wave of political mobilisation involving broad sectors of society throughout the country. In the ensuing violent suppression of protests and targeted persecution of political dissidents, Aliaksandr Lukashenka was able to secure his hold on power for the time being. This situation has created new challenges for the European Union, Russia and other regional actors. Opinion research is difficult in Belarus, and is likely to remain so. As a result, deeper insights into what is happening in the country are rare. In the interests of political and academic discourse, it is crucial to obtain a more accurate and detailed picture of the mood within Belarusian society at the present time.

As part of this project, an online panel survey was carried out (December 2020 and July 2021). The survey covers attitudes towards the government; trust in other people and institutions; opinions on politics, democracy and civil society; participation in and perceptions of protests; media use; and views on foreign policy.

• Online representative panel survey of the Belarusian population aged 16–64 living in places with a population of over 20 000