Over half of Muscovites approve of President Putin’s work – poll

MOSCOW. Feb 15 (Interfax) – Some 56% of Muscovites approve of President Vladimir Putin’s work, the Public Opinion Foundation said after polling 3,632 adults on January 26 – February 7.

Four percent said they knew nothing about Putin’s activity, 28% expressed their discontent and 11% could not answer the question.

Fifty-one percent said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin was working well. Twenty-three percent disagreed, 9% were unaware of the mayor’s work and 16% were hesitant.

Sobyanin was mostly praised for “city development and cleaning” (22%), “repairs, road construction and solving problems of traffic jams and parking space” (19%) and “solving public transport problems” (11%).

Some 59% said more work from Mayor Sobyanin would be good for Moscow. Fourteen percent sounded pessimistic and 27% could not say anything.

The respondents were also asked to choose a party they would support in the Moscow City Duma election. Some 32% said they favored United Russia, 8% the Communist Party, 6% the Liberal Democratic Party, 4% Yabloko, 4% A Just Russia, and 3% the Civil Platform. Some 17% failed to give an answer, and 19% said they would not vote at all.

Forty-five percent are happy with the life in Moscow (most of them reside in Zelenograd and the southeastern district), while 47% are displeased, mostly people in the southwestern district and new Moscow.