Article deals with analysis of social strata negative political attitudes’ impact on the political tensions. Political tension is regarded as the predominance of negative political attitudes on positive political attitudes. The levels of trust of various populations’ strata of Germany and Russia to the political institutions and levels of satisfaction with democracy in the country are compared in the article. In the article the dependence of participation in the elections, demonstrations, in public organizations, in signing petitions and boycotts of the social status of people also are studied. The empirical base of the cross-country comparative analysis constitutes the sixth wave (2012) of the European Social Survey (ESS) and the fifth wave (2005-2008) of the World Values Survey (WVS). The generalization of empirical data leads to the conclusion that in Germany the layers with a higher social status have more confidence in the institutions of power, are more satisfied with the operation of democracy in the country, largely supported by the dominant political party and are less likely to participate in protests. In Russia, the layers with a higher social status are less trust to the institutions of power, less satisfied with the work of democracy in the country, largely support by alternative political parties, and are more likely to participate in protests. Analysis of the Russian part of the database of the World Values Survey suggests that the negative attitude of the prevailing upper middle class to the institutions of power generates in this class predisposition to engage in political protest actions greater than in other layers.