Russian citizens name Putin person of year again – poll

(Interfax – January 1, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin has been named the person of the year again, Putin is first in popularity ratings since 1999, sociologists of the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) told Interfax citing a poll held.

The survey was held on December 7-8 in 43 Russian regions in 100 cities, towns and villages and involved 1,500 respondents.

A total of 32 percent Russians placed Putin first in the list of Russian politicians and public figures whom they would call the person of the year. Putin’s rating gained six percent points year-on-year (26 percent in 2012), the poll showed.

The top ten of the rating includes Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, leader of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party (6 percent each), leader of the Civil Platform party Mikhail Prokhorov and Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov (2 percent each), Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, former Moscow Mayor candidate and leader of the unregistered party People’s Alliance Alexei Navalny (1 percent each), leader of the Just Russia party Sergei Mironov and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin (less than 1 percent), sociologists said.

Another 4 percent named other politicians and public figures.

Nine percent said that Russia did not have an individual, who could be called the person of the year and over 35 percent failed to answer the relevant question.

The first place among Russian scientists, cultural figures and artists is shared by Soviet People’s Artist Yury Yakovlev, who died in early December at the age of 85, and head of the Russian filmmakers’ union, film director Nikita Mikhalkov – 3 percent of respondents named them and 68 percent failed to name anyone, the poll showed.

Yelena Isinbayeva, holding two Olympic medals in pole vault, is the first among sport figures (6 percent). Isinbayeva won the world track and field championship 2013 in Moscow with the best result in Europe of 4.89 meters.

Sixty four percent failed to name a sport figure for the year, sociologists said.

When asked about an event in Russia, 19 percent respondents said it was the flood in the Far East, 14 percent – preparations for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, 7 percent – the crash of the Boeing 737 in Kazan, 3 percent – the fall of the meteorite in Chelyabinsk, 2 percent – various corruption-related scandals, 1 percent each – unrest in Moscow’s Biryulyovo district and terrorist attack in Volgograd and other, the survey showed.

Meanwhile, 44 percent failed to recall any remarkable event, which occurred in 2013.