Less Than Quarter of Russians Content With Cabinet – Poll

MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) – Only 23% of Russians polled by the Public Opinion Foundation on October 13-14 in 43 regions gave good grades to the Cabinet.

Moreover, 40% spoke negatively of Cabinet operations while 11% know nothing about the Cabinet’s work.

Among ministries the best marks went to the Emergency Situations’ Ministry (56% were satisfied), the Ministry of Communications (42%), the Sports and Tourism Ministry (35%), the Transport Ministry (32%), the Ministry of Culture (29%), the Defense Ministry (26%) and the Energy Ministry (25%).

The Agriculture Ministry leads in unpopularity with a 62% negative rating, followed by the Health Ministry at 59% and the Interior Ministry, Education and Science Ministry, and the Natural Resources’ Ministry at 40% each.

For the first five months of work overall, respondents said that the Cabinet demonstrated a nearly equal number of successes and failures (29%). A quarter (24%) said there were more failures and 11% said there were more achievements. In addition, 36% were undecided.

Asked whether Dmitry Medvedev was successful as the head of the Cabinet, 17% said he was, 21% that he wasn’t and 39% that he was partly successful and partly not. Another 23% were undecided.

The respondents were also asked who has the greatest influence on the state of affairs in the region. The answers were – the head of the region (33%), the president (32%), the local administration (16%), the local legislative body (5%), the State Duma and Federation Council (4%), the federal cabinet (3%), and the prime minister (1%).