Moscow, August 5 (Interfax) - Over half of polled Russians (53%) praise the public efforts of head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, 15% more regard them as average and only 7% hold them in low respect, Interfax was told on Friday at Sreda service in relation to a nation-wide poll of 1,500 people conducted together with the Public Opinion fund.
The highest praise comes from Russians aged 45 and over, residents of big cities, parents of big families (63%), the retired (58%), people in the medium income bracket (58%) and those who vote for United Russia party (58%).
Men rate the patriarch lower than women.
Young people and students constitute the most critical group.
Low grades are more frequently given by respondents with a university degree (9%), childless couples (10%), non-superstitious people (12%), supporters of the Liberal-Democratic Party (14%) and those not planning to take part in the upcoming elections (12%).
Every fourth respondent was undecided. This group is comprised mainly of people with low educational standards and residents of small towns.
It is indicative that Muslims rate the efforts of the patriarch the same as Russians on average – over half of active Muslims praised him.
Meanwhile, atheists and those not belonging to any particular creed tend to think that the patriarch’s public efforts are not worth much.
