It is a long time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, but the symbols representing the system are still very popular in Russia. At least, this is the result of a public opinion poll conducted recently by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM). "A total of 73 per cent of Russians view the hammer and sickle positively, and only every 11th Russian (11 per cent) negatively," VCIOM said, Tass news agency reported Friday. The share of those who do not know what the hammer and sickle mean makes up 6 per cent.

Similar attitude is observed towards another Soviet-era symbol the red five-pointed star. A total of 66 per cent of Russians said they viewed it positively, and 11% said they viewed it negatively. Every 10th Russian (10 per cent) does not know what the five-pointed red star means. According to the poll, Russians perceive international and foreign symbols worse or are just unaware of them.

For example, the United Nations symbol is viewed positively by a little less than half of Russians (44 per cent). At the same time, 17 per cent of those polled view this symbol negatively. Every fourth Russian (24 per cent) does not know that the UN symbol represents.

Ukraines state emblem is perceived positively by more than a quarter of Russians (27 per cent). Every third respondent (34 per cent) said he or she viewed it negatively, and 23 per cent of Russians said they did not know what Ukraines state emblem represented. The survey showed that the Russians attitude to the swastika is the most unequivocal, with 74 % of Russians viewing it negatively. Only 8 per cent of those polled perceive it positively, and 7 per cent said they didnt know what the swastika means. Sociologists note that most Russians (62 per cent) favour a ban on the swastika. The poll included 1,600 people in 130 populated localities in Russias 46 regions, territories and republics. The margin of error did not exceed 3.5 per cent.