Fear of terror attacks on decline in Russia – poll

MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax) – The share of Russians fearing they may fall victim to terror attacks has declined from 70% to 59% since 2010, the Public Opinion Foundation said.

Fears are the biggest in small towns (70%) and the Southern and North Caucasian Federal Districts (75%). The sociologists held the poll in 43 regions of Russia.

Some 36% rule out the terrorist threat to themselves, as compared to 23% two years ago. Most of such respondents are residents of the Far Eastern (48%) and Siberian (42%) Federal Districts and men (44%).

Seventy-two percent gave a negative answer to the question about taking personal precautions against terrorist acts.

Nineteen percent said they were being careful and vigilant, paid attention to suspicious objects and people, did not talk to strangers, tried to avoid crowded places and not go outdoors in the dark.

Twenty-two percent believe that terrorists can be identified by their looks, such as aggressiveness, shifty eyes, frowning, baggy clothes, Caucasian origin and a beard. Some said terrorists had “peculiar energy and auras.”

Forty-six percent think that terrorist acts are possible in their home towns, and 40% disagree.

The two-year survey showed a decline in the number of Russians worried about the possibility of terrorist acts in their home places: the indicator stood at 68% in spring 2010.

Most of the concerned citizens are Muscovites (55%), people in cities with more than one million residents (60%), people with average incomes (51%) and people aged from 18 to 30 (49%).

The overwhelming number of the respondents (79%) welcomes security services’ reports about prevented terrorist acts but only 56% trust them, the sociologists said.

Reports about prevented terrorist acts are mostly trusted by people older than 60 (62%) and residents of big cities (64%). Muscovites trust the reports least (25%).