Russians not ready to sacrifice their rights for sake of state interests – poll

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – January 28, 2014) Most Russians place the rights of a person above the interests of the state, however they continue to count on the state taking care of its citizens, the Levada Center said about the poll held in December 2013 in 130 cities, towns and villages in 45 Russian regions and involving 1,603 respondents.

When asked which approach to the issue of human rights seemed the correct one, 46 percent Russian said that people had the right to fight for their rights even if this contradicts the interests of the state, while 15 percent said that the rights of a certain individual should be above the interest of the state, the survey showed.

Meanwhile, 7 percent believe that interests of the state should be above the rights of an individual, 17 percent think that in some case the rights of certain citizens could be infringed for the sake of the state interests and 16 percent could not to answer, sociologists said.

Fifty five percent of respondents said that the state should take care of its citizens by ensuring decent living standards for them, while 35 percent believe that the state should introduce “rules of the game” common to everyone and ensure that they are not violated, the poll showed.

At the same time, six percent of Russians want the state to interfere in the citizens’ life and economic activities as little as possible, sociologists said.

According to the survey, 69 percent of respondents think that the right to life is the most important one, the share of people thinking so rose by 12 percent in the past three years (against 57 percent in 2010).

The second most important right for Russians (65 percent) is the right to free education, medical care, support in old age and in sickness. The latest was referred to most often by people with low consumer status saving on food and clothes (81 percent), while well-off citizens (72 percent) are more concerned about the right to life, sociologists said.

The rights important for Russians include the right to well-paid occupational work (53 percent), inviolability of personal life and residence (52 percent), freedom of speech (39 percent), minimum wage guaranteed by the state (37 percent), property possession (37 percent), the right to information and freedom of beliefs (27 percent each), the survey showed.

Meanwhile, 20 percent each referred to the right to elect authorities and the right to go to another country and to return, sociologists said.

Comment