You're reading: Poll: EU, US sanctions worry Russian citizens less

Most Russian citizens (61 percent) admit that they are not concerned about Western sanctions being introduced against Russia over the events in Ukraine, Levada center sociologists told Interfax on July 29.

Meanwhile, 36 percent of Russians are concerned about sanctions, the poll,
held on July 18-21 in 46 Russian regions among 1,600 respondents,
showed.

The anxiety felt by Russian citizens over the sanctions being
introduced against Russia is decreasing, sociologists said. According to
the information of Levada Center, in early March, when it was just
planned to introduce the sanctions, 53 percent of Russians were concerned
against 42 percent in April.

As to the international isolation of Russia, it does not concern 58 percent
of respondents (against 39 percent in early March and 55 percent in April) and alarms
38 percent of Russian citizens (against 56 percent and 42 percent respectively), the poll
showed.

A total of 59 percent of respondents said that the current sanctions “Really
affected only a narrow circle of people responsible for Russian policy
regarding Ukraine,” while 34 percent said restrictions would concern a wide
range of citizens and 9 percent failed to respond.

According to the survey held in six large Russian cities on July
18-24 and involving 1,501 respondents, 60 percent think that Russia should aim
to maintain and develop cooperation with the West amid the current
situation, 30 percent share the opposite viewpoint saying “cooperation with the
West should be scaled down, and 10 percent failed to respond, sociologists
said.

Sixty six per cent have negative a attitude towards the U.S.
introducing sanctions against Rosneft, Vnesheconombank, Gazprombank and
Russian defense enterprises, the survey showed. Meanwhile, 28 percent Russians
said they were indifferent to this, 3 percent they approved such measures and
other 3 percent failed to respond.

At the same time, 29 percent of Russian citizens suppose that these
sanctions will create big problems for entire population of Russia, 35 percent
believe problems will not be too serious and 30 percent are certain these
restrictions will not affect ordinary people, the poll showed.