Two-thirds of Russians feel free – poll

MOSCOW. Dec 8 (Interfax) – The percentage of Russians who feel free has grown from 52% in 2013 to 66% now, and 27% do not have this feeling compared to 39% two years ago, the Levada Center told Interfax.

According to the sociologists, a fifth of Russians (22%) think that a dictatorship is possible in Russia within a few years, 42% deem this scenario to be unlikely and 26% rule out the possibility of such events.

In the opinion of a third of 1,600 people polled in 137 populated localities in 48 regions on November 20-23 (33%), persecution of dissidents may grow in Russia in the upcoming years.

Some 53% think this is unlikely to happen or even impossible.

Forty-one percent of respondents said that the fight of Russian authorities against ‘foreign agents’ and ‘the fifth column’ was fully justified. A quarter (25%) said it was an attempt to protect the authorities from public criticism, and 34% were undecided.