Poll Shows Increase In Support For Russian Leaders

(Interfax –  Moscow, 11 October) Sociologists have recorded an increase in confidence ratings of (President) Vladimir Putin and (Prime Minister) Dmitriy Medvedev in early October.

Currently, 44 per cent of respondents say that they trust President Vladimir Putin, while a week ago the figure was 42 per cent, and two weeks ago – 41 per cent, according to a survey by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) conducted on 6-7 October among 3,000 respondents in 204 population centres in 64 constituent parts of the Russian Federation.

The sociologists also noted an increase in Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev’s confidence rating, from 36 per cent to 39 per cent.

The FOM survey also showed an increase in Vladimir Putin’s electoral rating. In a hypothetical Russian presidential election next Sunday, 46 per cent of respondents are ready to vote for him, against 44 per cent at the end of September.

The top five politicians whom the surveyed citizens view positively, according to the results of the FOM survey, include Vladimir Putin (34 per cent), Dmitriy Medvedev (17 per cent), LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) leader Vladimir Zhirinovskiy (10 per cent), Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov (8 per cent) and the leader of the Civic Platform party, Mikhail Prokhorov (6 per cent).

The list of anti-leaders includes the same politicians, but in a somewhat different order: Vladimir Zhirinovskiy (19 per cent of respondents do not trust him and view him negatively), Vladimir Putin and Gennady Zyuganov (11 per cent each), Dmitriy Medvedev (8 per cent) and Mikhail Prokhorov (6 per cent).

When asked by sociologists whether they trust the One Russia (United Russia) party, 41 per cent of 1,500 people surveyed in early October in 100 population centres in 43 constituent parts of the country said that they do, while two weeks ago the figure was 38 per cent. The percentage of those who are willing to vote for the ruling party in the Duma election, if it is held next Sunday, increased from 39 to 41 per cent, respectively, the sociologists’ weekly surveys have shown.

According to the FOM survey, 61 per cent of respondents did not see, over the last month, people’s willingness to take part in protests. Twenty-four per cent believe that the number of people willing to participate in protests has grown, while 55 per cent told the sociologists that they do not feel the need to protest.

The survey has shown that in the near future 59 per cent of respondents are not going to take part in rallies and demonstrations organized by opponents or supporters of the current authorities. Ten per cent will speak against the authorities but will not attend rallies, 9 per cent will support the authorities but will not attend rallies, six per cent will attend rallies against the authorities, and three per cent will attend rallies in support of the authorities.