RUSSIALINK: “Third of Russians unhappy with state of environment – poll” – Interfax

(Interfax – June 8, 2020)

Around a third of Russians are unhappy with the state of the environment where they live, according to a survey conducted by state-run pollster VTsIOM.

In answer to the question, “how do you rate the ecological situation in the place you live?”, 34 per cent of those polled said they were not happy with the situation (down 6 points since January 2020), while 64 per cent said they were happy with it (up 5 points).

Most of those who were positive about the ecological situation were residents of Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as those who live in villages and in towns with a population under 100,000 people, VTsIOM said, as reported by Russian news agency Interfax.

The majority of those who were dissatisfied with their environment where those from cities of between 100-000 and 500,000 people (40 per cent) and 500,000 to 950,000 people (48 per cent), the poll said.

Ecological issues have been among the most prominent causes of public protest in Russia in the last few years, with demonstrations against waste disposal being held from Moscow to Murmansk Region.

[featured images are file photos from another occasion]