MOSCOW, January 13, 2009. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data on how Russians evaluate the information about the crisis provided by the mass media.
More than one third of Russians (38%) consider that the economic crisis coverage is not full and open enough. 27% of Russians consider the information to be objective and quite sufficient to understand what happens. Every fifth (20%) thinks that the mass media often exaggerate the consequences of the crisis. 15% of respondents were undecided.
The residents of Ural federal district and those living in big cities mostly tend to think that the mass media not fully and openly cover the topic of the crisis (53% and 36% respectively). Far Eastern and Central Federal Districts’ respondents more often then the others consider the information given by the mass media objective and sufficient to understand the situation (36% and 34% respectively); Muscovites and Saint-Petersburgians share this position (36%). Those who tend to think that the mass media exaggerate the consequences of the crisis are mostly North-Western Federal District residents (29%), Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, big and middle cities citizens, (22-25%).
The higher the level of education of Russians is, the more often they say that the mass media not fully and openly cover the crisis: 23% of respondents with elementary or incomplete secondary education “against” 45% of respondents with higher or incomplete higher education. The share of such respondents also increases as wealth self-assessment of Russians decreases: from 31% of those who consider wealth level to be “good” or “very good” to 43% of those who have low wealth self-assessment.
On the contrary, the lower the level of education of Russians is and the higher wealth self-assessment they have, the more often they tend to think the information given by the mass media is objective: 33% of respondents with elementary and incomplete secondary education and 34% of respondents with high wealth self-assessment “against” 27% of respondents with higher or incomplete higher education and 23% of Russians with low wealth self-assessment.
The initiative Russian opinion poll was conducted on December 6 and 7, 2008. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 140 sampling points in 42 regions of Russia.The margin of errosr does not exceed 3.4%.
How would you estimate the information about economic crisis that you receive on TV, radio, newspapers and magazines?(close-ended question, one answer) | ||||||||
| Total | Federal Districts* | ||||||
CFD | NWFD | SFD | PFD | UFD | SFD | DFD | ||
Information by mass media is objective, and quite sufficient to understand what happens | 27 | 34 | 21 | 19 | 28 | 16 | 23 | 36 |
Mass media often exaggerate the consequences of the crisis | 20 | 21 | 24 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 29 | 21 |
Mass media not fully and openly cover the economic crisis and do not give the necessary information about the situation | 38 | 35 | 47 | 44 | 37 | 53 | 35 | 17 |
Hard to tell | 15 | 11 | 8 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 26 |
How would you estimate the information about economic crisis that you receive on TV, radio, newspapers and magazines?(close-ended question, one answer) | ||||||
| Total | Type of settlement | ||||
Moscow & Saint-Petersburg | More than 500 thousandinhabitants | 100–500thousand | Less that 100 thousand | Villages | ||
Information by mass media is objective, and quite sufficient to understand what happens | 27 | 36 | 19 | 22 | 27 | 30 |
Mass media often exaggerate the consequences of the crisis | 20 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 17 | 15 |
Mass media not fully and openly cover the economic crisis and do not give the necessary information about the situation | 38 | 34 | 46 | 37 | 38 | 35 |
Hard to tell | 15 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 20 |
How would you estimate the information about economic crisis that you receive on TV, radio, newspapers and magazines?(close-ended question, one answer) | |||||
| Total | Education | |||
Elementary or lower, incomplete secondary | Secondary(school or college) | Secondary special(technical school) | IncompleteUniversity (not less than 3 year ), University | ||
Information by mass media is objective, and quite sufficient to understand what happens | 27 | 33 | 26 | 25 | 27 |
Mass media often exaggerate the consequences of the crisis | 20 | 14 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
Mass media not fully and openly cover the economic crisis and do not give the necessary information about the situation | 38 | 23 | 36 | 39 | 45 |
Hard to tell | 15 | 31 | 18 | 15 | 7 |
How would you estimate the information about economic crisis that you receive On TV, radio, newspapers and magazines?(close-ended question, one answer) | ||||
| Total | Wealth self-assessment | ||
Very good, good | Average | Bad, very bad | ||
Information by mass media is objective, and quite sufficient to understand what happens | 27 | 34 | 27 | 23 |
Mass media often exaggerate the consequences of the crisis | 20 | 23 | 22 | 14 |
Mass media not fully and openly cover the economic crisis and do not give the necessary information about the situation | 38 | 31 | 37 | 43 |
Hard to tell | 15 | 12 | 14 | 19 |
*Abbreviations
CFD – Central Federal District
NWFD – North-Western Federal District
SFD – Southern Federal District
PFD – Volga Federal District
UFD – Urals Federal District
SFD – Siberian Federal District
DFD – Far-Eastern Federal District