Interfax: Almost half of Russians approve of national development course – poll

MOSCOW. Nov 6 (Interfax) – Almost half of Russians (46%) approve of the course of national development taken by Vladimir Putin after his return to the presidency, Levada Center told Interfax.

This course is mostly supported by women (50% vs. 41% of men), young citizens aged from 18 to 24 (55%), people with secondary education (52%) and residents of cities with a population exceeding 500,000 (52%). The sociologists polled 1,603 respondents in 45 regions in late October.

Some 41% of the respondents said they were unhappy with the course, mostly, men (47%), respondents aged from 40 to 54 (46%), people with higher and primary education (43% and 44%), people with a lower economic status (43%), Muscovites (45%) and villagers (51%).

A relative majority of the respondents (44%) said Putin had a clear idea of the development course. Thirty-six percent disagreed, and 20% could not answer the question.

Speaking of the strategic goals of the Putin administration, the respondents named his wish to maintain the public order and political stability (21%), to gradually improve the living standards (16%) and to carry on modernization of the country (14%).

Sixteen percent argued that the administration “did not have any development strategy at all.”