MOSCOW, October 13, 2009. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data about who Russians think is responsible for the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Power Station, how to eliminate further occurrences, and who will finance the plant recovery.
A relative majority of Russians put the blame for the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Power Station (SShGES) on its management (39%). Fourteen percent tend to blame the President and Russian Government; 7% blame Power Station workers, and 3% blame designers. Respondents also mentioned RusHydro owners, regional authorities, controlling bodies (2% for each); other 2% think that the accident was caused by the equipment wear. Respondents also lay responsibility for the accident on officials, corrupts and Department of Energy (1% for each); other 1% think that it was unfortunate confluence of circumstances. And still, 6% of Russians blame Chubais.
Respondents propose to establish strict control over facilities' construction and operation as a safety measure to prevent such accidents (20%). Every tenth think it necessary to conduct strong staff selection and to raise the level of workers` responsibility (10%). Respondents also offer to make timely repair and replacement of equipment (8%), to strengthen the level of security at power stations (7%), to implement regular preventive measures, to establish new system of control, severe punishment for the perpetrators of the accident (4% for each), modernization of equipment, to change power station management, to return strategic objects into state ownership (3% for each), to raise funds, to fight against corruption, to establish strict discipline, to check other power stations (2% for each).Those who think it is essential to make SShGES recovery and to restore order in the country are 1% for each group.
Russians think that the best way to repair the plant is to allocate federal money (41%). Those who have such point of view are mainly residents of the Urals (49%). Twenty seven percent think State Bank's concessional lending would help restore the power station. Those who think so are basically from the Far East of Russia (40%).Nine percent consider that part of the power station's shares should be sold to a private owner who would make recovery at his expense: most of respondents with such position are inhabitants of the Central District (12%), southerners (12%) and residents of the Urals (11%). The least popular idea is to increase electricity tariff for industrial consumers - only 5% support the idea. And finally, 4% do not think SShGES needs any immediate recovery.
Respondents with low level of education often introduce to allocate federal money (44%). Those with high level of education support the idea of concessional lending (29%) and selling part of shares to a private owner (11%).
The initiative Russian opinion polls were conducted on October 3-4, 2009. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 140 sampling points in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of errordoes not exceed 3.4 %.
In your opinion, who is responsible for the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower station (SShGES)? (open-ended question, not more than three answers) | |
GES management | 39 |
President and Government | 14 |
GES workers | 7 |
Chubais | 6 |
Equipment designers | 3 |
RusHydro owners | 2 |
Regional authorities | 2 |
Controlling bodies | 2 |
I do not know who is to blame, but the cause of the accident was equipment wear | 2 |
Officials, bureaucracy | 1 |
Corrupts | 1 |
Department of Energy | 1 |
Everyone is equally to blame | 2 |
No one to blame, it was confluence of circumstances | 1 |
other | 2 |
hard to tell | 27 |
What should be done to prevent further accidents? (open-ended question, any number of answers) | |
Stricter control of construction and operation of such facilities | 20 |
Strict staff selection, raise the level of workers` responsibility | 10 |
Timely repairs and equipment replacement | 8 |
Raise safety level | 7 |
Regular preventive measures | 4 |
Severe punishment (even criminal) of the accident perpetrators for the negligence | 4 |
Introduce new control system over strategic objects, to establish controlling institute/commission | 4 |
Return strategic facilities into state ownership | 3 |
Upgrade equipment | 3 |
Change the management and make strict selection for candidates | 3 |
Raise funding | 2 |
Fight against corruption | 2 |
Establish discipline | 2 |
Check other power stations | 2 |
Restore the order in the country | 1 |
Restore SShGES, to allocate money for repair | 1 |
Hard to tell | 35 |
SShGES is one of the state energy companies. This is why the state should allocate money to restore the plant. Do you think the plant should be repaired immediately, and if yes, what sum of money should be allocated for this purpose? (close-ended question, one answer) | |||||
| Total respondents | Education | |||
Elementary, or lower, incomplete secondary education | Secondary (school, technical college) | Secondary special (college) | Incomplete higher (not less than 3 years), higher | ||
Money should be allocated directly from the state budget at the expense of other government expenditures | 41 | 44 | 43 | 41 | 36 |
Electricity tariff should be raised for industrial consumers to restore the plant | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Part of GES shares should be sold to a private owner that would restore the plant at his expenses | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
State banks` concessional lending could help restore the GES | 27 | 20 | 27 | 26 | 29 |
SShGES should not be repaired right now | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Hard to tell | 15 | 23 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or www.wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!