Russians are still afraid of terrorist acts – poll

(Interfax – September 30, 2013, 2013) Over half of the Russians polled by Levada Center (62 percent) said they believe they or their relatives and loved ones could be hurt by terrorist attacks, Levada Center told Interfax.

The poll, which was conducted on September 20-24, surveyed 1,601 people in 130 populated areas of 45 regions of Russia.

Only 12 percent of the respondents said they are confident that nothing like that will happen to them personally or their relatives and loved ones, and 22 percent said they do not think about such things at all.

Sociological research shows that the percentage of those who fear being affected by a terrorist attack has decreased in the past three years (from 73 percent in 2010) and the percentage of those who do not think about such things has increased from 14 percent in 2010.

The percentage of Russians who believe in the special services’ ability to protect them from terrorist threats has increased from 31 percent 2010 to 43 percent in 2013. Four-four percent of the respondents surveyed by Levada Center said they do not hope for protection from the state in this issue (in 2010, 55 percent of the respondents said so).

Levada Center also said the level of anxiety in society is not much lower than it was in 1999, when terrorist attacks occurred in Moscow, Buynaksk, and Volgodonsk (86 percent).

The terrorist attacks that took place in Moscow, Buynaksk, and Volgodonsk on September 4-16, 1999 killed 307 people and injured over 1,700.