#2 - JRL 7219
Nearly two-thirds of Russians do not know correct name of June 12 holiday
MOSCOW. June 11 (Interfax) - Over half of all Russians - 65% - believe the country celebrates Independence Day on June 12, and only 6% know the correct name of the holiday - the Day of the Proclamation of Russia's State Sovereignty (marked as Day of Russia since 2002).
Interfax obtained this information from the All-Russian Public Opinion Survey Center (VTsIOM), which derived it from a representative express poll of 1,600 respondents in late May.
Twenty percent of respondents were unable to say why this day is celebrated as a holiday in Russia. Another 2% think the country is celebrating the election of the first Russian president, 3% gave other answers, and 4% do not consider June 12 to be a holiday at all.
The poll showed that 39% of respondents believe sovereignty has benefited Russia, while two years ago, this view was shared by 33% of the respondents.
On the other hand, 34% of those polled said sovereignty has done only harm to Russia and the newly independent states, although two years ago, 49% thought so.
Thus, the poll showed that people's attitudes towards Russian sovereignty have improved over the past 2 years. Sociologists noted that attitudes largely depend on the age, education, and income of the respondents. Young people, the well-educated, and those with relatively high incomes chiefly believe that sovereignty has benefited Russia, while senior citizens, the poorly educated, and low income groups take the opposite view.
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