#3
gazeta.ru
January 3, 2001
Pre-Christmas Polls Show Change of Hearts in Russians
By Alexander Kornilov

According to poll studies, in the first year of the new century the public opinion, unlike the economic situation, changed greatly. By the end of 2001 the share of Russians who assume that the country develops into the right direction has exceeded the share of pessimists, convinced that the nation moves into a deadlock.

Thus, for the first time in ten years of public opinion research in Russia (the research during the Communist years can hardly be considered accurate) the number of optimistic respondents outweighed those for whom the glass is half empty. Also, the latest public opinion studies reflect the steady increase in popularity rating of the president Vladimir Putin. 80% of Russian citizens fully approve his moves.

At the end of 2001 the All-Russian Centre for Public Opinion Studies (VTsIOM) reviewed the results of year’s research, analysing changes in Russians’ views and attitudes.

Apparently, what proved the most striking about the results of conducted analysis is that the share of optimistic Russians has for the first time in years exceeded the number of pessimists. When asked: “How are things in the country?” more respondents than ever before said fine.

At this, it is worth noting that the number of optimists was growing and, the chances are, such tendency will continue in 2002.

Of 1600 respondents – Russian citizens from various regions of the country who took part in the poll – by the end of the 2001 48% said that they have already adjusted to the changes of the past ten years. 22% said they hope to adjust in the near future.

In other words, public opinion researchers have determined that approximately 70% of Russian population have grown used to economic changes and are ready to abide by new rules.

However, sociologists have concluded that most of respondents judge the new president not by his actual performance and by what he has done already but mostly by his potential. Many pin great hopes on Vladimir Putin, considering him capable of handling the problems the nation is facing.

By the end of the year the president’s rating soared. 80% of respondents said they fully approved of his actions. Only 18% denied him approval owing to various reasons, and 2% found it difficult to answer the question.

If the presidential election took place today, Putin would win support of 54% of Russians, or two-thirds of all those who expressed readiness to take part in voting.

When asked what feelings respondents felt toward the president, 4% said they admired him, 34% said they treated him with sympathy and 38% saw nothing bad in his actions.

On the other hand, 11% of respondents proved to treat him neutrally, 8% - cautiously, 3% see nothing good in him, 1% of respondents dislike him and 1% found difficulty in answering.

Given such results, it deems scarcely surprising that by the end of 2001 Vladimir Putin proved on top of many domestic ratings. He was called a man of the year by many observers. In ex-Soviet republic Latvia Putin even proved more popular than George W.Bush.

Public opinion experts hold that Putin’s popularity helped to improve the hitherto ailing image of certain high-ranking government officials and law enforcers, in particular, Russian PM Mikhail Kasyanov and the Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov.

For instance, the personal rating of the premier Mikhail Kasyanov by the end of 2001 proved to be considerably higher than in all previous years. 53% of Russians said they approved of his performance, 34% disapproved. 13% found difficulty in answering.

As for the government as a whole 46% showed approval of its activity, 45% disapproved and 9% failed to answer.

42% respondents praised Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov, 35% disapproved of his actions and 23% could not answer.

The chief prosecutor had never before enjoyed such high support either. Observers tend to explain such tendency by the active participation of the Prosecutor-General’s Office together with the Audit Chamber in investigation of serious financial violations in ministries and other governmental agencies.

Besides, Vladimir Ustinov gained more score taking part in raising the Kursk nuclear submarine and leading the public prosecution in Salman Raduyev’s case in 2001.

The Kursk sub sank in the Barents Sea in August 2000 claiming lives of 118 sailors, and was raised in October this year. Ustinov personally supervised the raising operation. Evil tongues surmised he used the Barents Sea scenery to boost his public image and made a one-man show out of the operation.

The notorious Chechen rebel Salman Raduyev was sentenced to life in December, charged with terrorism and murder for perpetration of ruthless attacks on Dagestani settlements in 1996 whereby dozens of civilians and policemen were killed.

One more important conclusion drawn by VTsIOM’s experts on the threshold of the new 2002 year is that Boris Berezovsky, in the opinion of most Russians, has no chances whatsoever to return to the Russian political arena and to regain his former influence.

Controversial Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky, who once used to be one of the key figures behind the scenes in the Kremlin, is temporarily abroad in the self-imposed exile, with fraud charges brought by the Prosecutor-General’s Office against him at home.

Throughout the 2001 Berezovsky attempted to restore his influence in Russia with the help of media outlets that he still controls and setting up a new opposition force Liberal Russia.

VTsIOM poll studies have shown that only 4% perceive Berezovsky as a political figure capable of creating an influential socio-political movement.

31% of Russian nationals hold that Berezovsky will continue annoying the authorities with political intrigues whereas 44% of respondents say he has no serious political potential.

So, one might say that in that aspect the year’s results are favourable for the Kremlin as well.

Russians deny Berezovsky support, whereas authorities ratings grow steadily. The question is, whether the Kremlin and, primarily, Mr. Putin is able to secure that tendency.

Luckily, in 2001 he committed no serious political mistakes that could shatter the public sympathy towards him, though on the other hand he was never forced to take difficult decisions under pressure of time.

Russian president was the first to call Mr.Bush with condolences on September 11. He fulfilled his promise to raise the sunken Kursk.

On the other hand, he let the USA pull out from the START to proceed with anti-missile shield construction, without winning any benefits for Russia which made many observers accuse him o mildness and compare him with Mikhail Gorbachev and the way the Soviet president gave up Eastern Germany.

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