MOSCOW - The electoral rating of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has dipped by 16% since 2008, the Public Opinion Foundation reports.
The POF presented results of an opinion poll in Moscow on Thursday. Sixty percent of voters preferred Putin for president in 2008, the number is down to 44% now (judging by the latest poll dated Dec. 25).
The respondents were asked to choose from Putin, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, A Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov, businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and Yabloko informal leader Grigory Yavlinsky.
Fifty-two percent said they would vote for Putin in March 2012; including 26% who would definitely do that, 16% were inclined to support Putin and 10% did not rule out that option. Thirty-three percent said they would not vote for Putin: 20% would not do that for sure, 6% were inclined to reject that candidate and 6% might reject him.
The Siberian Federal District had the highest number of voters preferring Putin (59%), followed by people with less education (59%), villagers, women, residents of the Volga Federal District and people older than 65 (58%) and people with incomes higher than average (57%).
The number of Putin’s supporters is smaller among the following groups: people with high incomes (43%), residents of the Central Federal District (40%), people with higher education (40%), Muscovites, men and people aged from 45 to 54 (38%).
Putin’s rating declined over the past year with the outflow of male supporters, while women continued to support Putin, Public Opinion Foundation President Alexander Oslon said.
The report was based on weekly polls of 3,000 respondents in 204 towns and cities in 64 regions.
The number of voters preferring Zyuganov grew from 7% to 12% since 2008, and the number of Zhirinovsky’s supporters enlarged from 7% to 11% in the same period. Mironov and Prokhorov may gain support of 4% of voters; 2% may vote for Yavlinsky, and 9% may not take part in the ballot at all.
