Moscow - Sixty-four percent of Russians believe that the Vladimir Putin epoch has more pros than cons, and 14% think the opposite, says a Russian Public Opinion Study Center survey obtained by Interfax.
The majority of people who say that the Putin epoch is favorable are
United Russia supporters (83%), well-to-do respondents (78%) and
residents of medium-sized cities (74%). Their opponents are Communist
Party supporters (35%), respondents with low incomes (26%) and residents
of Moscow and St. Petersburg (20%).
Respondents in the polls of perestroika years (2005) and the Boris
Yeltsin rule (2007) said negative effects (49-67%) outweighed positive
(16-27%).
Fifty-two percent of Russians think that Putin’s accession to the
presidency in 2000 changed Russian life for the better. Most of these
respondents are residents of medium-sized cities (60%) and young people
(57%). Fourteen percent disagree, mostly people in cities with more than
one million residents (20%).
Russians think Putin has his biggest achievements in international
relations (45%) and the rise in living standards (44%). Opinions differ
about his role in North Caucasian stabilization and reduction of the
unemployment level: a third say he changed things for the better and
another third say nothing has changed (the correlation is 34/33% to
33/34%). Respondents do not see an improvement in personal security
either (44%).
The biggest hope pinned on Putin’s comeback is better living
standards (19%). Russians also await further development of the social
policy, higher pensions and growth in the economy, industry and
agriculture (5%), fight against corruption and unlawfulness (4%), lesser
unemployment and higher accessibility of education and healthcare (3%).
People recommend that Putin focus on higher living standards (18%),
anti-corruption measures and high-quality free healthcare (14%) and
growth of industry and agriculture (13%). Other priorities are
high-quality free education (10%), social security (9%), economic
modernization and solution of housing and public utility problems (8%),
lesser unemployment (7%), lesser inflation (7%), care for the young (6%)
and provision of law and order (5).
The center polled 1,600 persons in 138 towns and cities in 46 regions on September 29-30.
It noted that Putin was the first Russian leader in 25 years mostly positively appraised by respondents.
