As Sputnik daily omnibus survey suggests, many Russians like and buy Belarusian products, however attempts to import banned items from Belarus into Russia are largely disapproved by respondents.
MOSCOW, March 3, 2017. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the results of a survey devoted to the products made in Belarus.
Belarusian products are rather popular in Russia: about half of Russians say that they buy Belarusian products, particularly dairy foods (28% of respondents have bought them over a month) as well as meat products and sausages (19%).
On the whole, the majority of those who buy Belarusian products (79%) think that their quality is good. Opinions are divided on prices: 40% think the products are expensive; 39% say they are cheap. Fourteen percent of respondents have low opinion of the quality of Belarusian products including 10% of those who think the prices are not high and 4% who say they are rather high.
According to 79% of Russians, attempts to import prohibited items from Belarus under the label of products made in Belarus should be put down, even if the share of consumers who buy Belarusian products makes up 76% (only 10% oppose this standpoint).
The Sputnik omnibus survey was conducted on February 8-9, 2017, using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia, and involved 1200 respondents. Russians aged 18 and over took part in the survey. The data were weighted according to selection probability and social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 3.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
Which of the following Belarusian products have you bought over the recent month? (closed-ended question, any number of answers, %) | |
| Total respondents |
Dairy products | 28 |
Meat products and sausages | 16 |
Sugar and pastry | 9 |
Canned food | 5 |
Fruits and vegetables | 4 |
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs | 2 |
Alcoholic beverages | 2 |
Nuts | 1 |
Other | 6 |
I did not buy Belarusian products | 44 |
Don’t know | 9 |
What do you think about the quality of Belarusian products in general? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who have bought Belarusian products over the recent month) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and over |
Good quality but high price | 40 | 30 | 31 | 40 | 45 | 45 |
Good quality and cheap | 39 | 39 | 39 | 47 | 35 | 36 |
The quality is not very good but they are cheap | 10 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
The quality is bad, the price is too high | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Don’t know | 7 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance states that certain banned foods and agricultural products with false or invalid certificates are often imported from Belarus into Russia. These products are produced in the countries subject to Russian sanctions but the Belarusians say that these products are made in Belarus. The products are Belarusian shrimps, Mogilevo mussels, herring, et cet. In your opinion, what should Russian authorities do in this situation? (closed-ended question, one answer, %)
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| Total respondents | Those who have bought Belarusian products over a month | Those who have NOT bought Belarusian products over a month | ||
Russian authorities should do nothing letting Belarus sell these products in Russia | 10 | 11 | 8 | ||
Any similar attempts should be severely put down; Belarus should not be allowed to sell these products in Russia | 79 | 76 | 84 | ||
Other | 6 | 9 | 3 | ||
Don’t know | 5 | 4 | 5 | ||
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!