Interfax: Russians get ready to celebrate Victory Day – poll

MOSCOW. May 7 (Interfax) – Victory Day is one of the most significant holidays for Russian citizens, which is widely supported by people, Levada Center sociologists said citing the results of many years of polls provided to Interfax.

According to the information of sociologists, in the past years the majority of Russian citizens, 70-72%, celebrate Victory Day in one way or another, and much fewer celebrate May 1 (55-59%).

The unemployed (86%), students (80%), specialists (77%), Russians aged 40 to 55 (73%), citizens with relatively high consumer status (75%) and residents of cities with a population of 100,000-500,000 people (80%) tend to celebrate Victory Day more often on average, Levada Center said.

When asked to name the main results of the World War II, 71% Russians referred to the elimination of Hitler’s regime and 63% named freeing European countries from the German fascist occupation.

Meanwhile, most respondents (69%) said that the Soviet Union could have won the World War II without allies’ help, and 22% have the opposite stance.

Businessmen (81%), executives and managers (74%), pensioners (72%), Russians aged 25 to 40 (72%) and over 55 years old (71%), citizens with higher education (75%), with low consumer status (73%) and those residing in provincial cities with population of over 500,000 people (78%) think the USSR could have won on its own.

While the unemployed, housewives and public servants (25% each), students (24%), Russians aged 40-55 (26%), citizens with secondary education (27%), residents of towns with 100,000-500,000 population (31%), those from towns with less than 100,000 residents (27%), and Moscow residents (25%) said that the help of allies was needed for the Victory.