The number of Russians who call themselves patriots has dropped by eight percent since the current Russian president first took office 13 years ago, a new poll released by the independent Levada Center pollster reveales.

      Sixty-nine percent of respondents considered themselves to be patriots in the poll held at the end of October, down from 77 percent in 2000.

      The survey also showed some changes in Russians’ definition of patriotism since the turn of the century. The number of respondents who said patriotism meant “working or acting for the good of the country” dropped to 21 percent in 2013 from 35 percent in 2000. Russians who defined the concept as “loving your country” held steady at just under 60 percent.

      However, the proportion of people who said patriotism meant considering one’s own nation better than other countries increased slightly to 21 percent of respondents from 2000’s 17 percent.

      The idea of national identity has been one of the major topics for Russian top officials in recent years, as the government has struggled to define a modernized post-Soviet ideology.

      However, many respondents to the poll (42 percent) didn't notice an increase in government officials speaking about rising patriotism in Russia, while 24 percent stated the opposite.

      The poll of about 1,600 respondents was conducted on October 25-28 in 45 Russian regions.