Honesty, hard work and kindness are top positive traits a citizen should have, according to Russians. To be a public leader, it is also important to get a good education and to have an ability to listen to others.

MOSCOW, February 21, 2019. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data of a study devoted to the essential traits people and public leaders should possess.

Russians consider that honesty (73%), hard work (51%) and kindness (47%) are the most important qualities in people.  Education is prized by 39% of respondents; 30% pay attention to goodwill. Personal involvement and a sense of humor are important for 28%. Every fourth (23%) appreciates self-confidence; 22% value initiative. Twenty percent of respondents think straightforwardness is an important human trait. 

In recent years, the Russians have dramatically changed their opinions regarding the qualities of the leader who deal with socially useful activities. Whereas in 2015 respondents pointed to proactive attitude as the main leader’s quality (44% in 2015 vs 12% in 2019), today most of respondents value honesty (53% in 2019 vs 24% in 2015). This very quality is also regarded to be important for people in general (73%).

The second place in the list of traits of the public leader is held by the ability to listen to others (36%; vs 16% in 2015). This trait is mentioned by 40% of persons aged 60 and over. Every third (32%) considers that public leaders should have a good education. The share of those who think that public leaders should be hard-working has considerably risen (an increase from 13% to 27%). Remarkably, hard work is one of the key human qualities (51%). Twenty-six percent of respondents opt for responsibility as the main quality of the public leader; however this trait is far from being the most important human trait, according to Russians (1%).

A quarter of respondents (25%) value justice in public leaders (an increase from 16% in 2015), but this quality is almost never mentioned among general human qualities (1%). A further 24% appreciate kindness in leaders (an increase from 11% in 2015). Kindness is ranked third in the people’s rating of human traits (47%). The percentage of those who consider personal involvement as the main trait of the public leader has declined: today 23% of Russians mention this quality compared to 33% in 2015.  Organizational skills are also appreciated less than before (a decrease from 29% in 2015 to 23% in 2019). On the contrary, leader’s desire to change the world for the better has become one of the mot important traits (an increase from 17% to 23%).

VCIOM-Sputnik survey was conducted on February 19, 2019. The survey involved 1,600 Russians aged 18 and over. The survey was telephone-based and was carried out using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia. 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 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

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