#4
Profil
October 15, 2001
FOR BETTER OR WORSE
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]

A recent opinion poll asked which possible negative consequences of the US military operation people feared most. The most frequent response (32.9%) was fear that the conflict would escalate and involve other nations, including Russia. Another 15.2% of respondents feared an intensive campaign of terrorism around the world; 10.1% feared acts of terrorism on Russian territory.

The Public Opinion Foundation has done a poll asking: Has anything changed in Russia over the past year, for better or worse? The most frequent response (40%) was that things have changed for the better. Only 22% of respondents said things have changed for the worse.

When asked who was responsible for these positive or negative changes, 49% of respondents said the present state of affairs in Russia is primarily the result of President Putin's personal efforts. Another 34% of respondents were inclined to believe that the changes are the result of objective development processes.