In Focus

A third of the Russians view themselves dependent on something, signaled the recent poll of All-Russia’s Center for Public Opinion Studies which results are available at the official web of the pollster.

Valery Fedorov: «The contours of the new Duma in general have already been defined: it will definitely not be a one-party parliament, but it is quite possible that it could become two-party... Whatever the outcome, "Unified Russia" will receive the majority of vote close to the current, constitutional one that they now possess».

 Russia has passed the way from “the society of default -1998” to “the society of consumption -2007”. But will we reach new economic heights?.. The question remains an open one", as the Director General of the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) Valery Fedorov states.

Low-income bracket groups are becoming increasingly indifferent to politics. The jury is still out on Putin's "political stabilization" program. To some, it means that the political process in Russia is being permitted to take its natural course. Meanwhile, for others, this stabilization is synonymous with the stagnation of public activism and the abandonment of democratic values and institutions. The truth, as one wit once said, lies somewhere in the middle.

Vasiliy Ivanov: "Another VCIOM authors' monograph is published. It sums up all the surveys conducted by Russian Public Opinion Research Center in 2006. The book is called 'Guide to the elections' and is focused on upcoming in the end of 2007 State Duma elections"

Valery Fedorov: "Dislike of Moscow, certainly, has taken roots. Among the so-called provincials this dislike basically reminds envy. On the one hand we all passionately dislike Moscow, on the other hand we passionately want to move over there". 

Leontiy Byzov: "We have conducted a lot of surveys and they showed that basically people are not aware of the Constitution and the mass consciousness does not show any respect for the Constitution".

Valery Fedorov: "The Four-party system, presented in the State Duma today, most likely will be kept in the next 4 years after elections in December, 2007. This system includes... ".

Valery Fedorov: "Results of elections in Krasnoyarsk have not brought serious changes in arrangement of political forces to Russia, but they have corrected forecasts and estimations which were given on the basis of March elections".

Valeriy Fedorov says 'The majority of Russians feel negatively about reforms and even about the word 'reform' itself, because of the considerable experience of unsuccessful reforms'.

Valeriy Fedorov: 'The priorities like political stability and the firm authority some years ago standing in focus of public attention, are essentially less popular today'.

Valery Fedorov: 'During Putin's presidency the society is not used to watch politics as a show and seeing characters of a political masquerade anymore. The public consciousness is dominated by the certain set of simple and clear values today...’

Leontiy Byzov: 'The situation with the prolongation of Luzhkov's term was not cleared yet, but the possibility of the prolongation is high. First, because of 'Edinaya Rossiya's support of Luzhkov. The second reason is that Putin in conditions of a general crisis of the federal authority...'

Валерий Федоров: «Два года назад 24% опрошенных полагали, что публичное проявление неприязни к представителям других национальностей должно наказываться штрафом, а сегодня уже 39%...».

У россиян еще с перестроечных времен укоренилась приверженность к таким из них, как наличие свободы слова и СМИ - это считают важным 83% опрошенных ВЦИОМ в 2006 г.; свободы выбора - 78%, предпринимательства - 68%, свободы передвижения 63%, и т.п.