Granting a loan to Ukraine and reducing gas price are needed to preserve the friendly relationships between Russia and Ukraine.
MOSCOW, January 22, 2014. Russian Public Opinion Research Center presents the data concerning the following questions: whether Russians know about the decision to deliver a loan to Ukraine and to decrease prices for gas; and how Russians assess these measures.
Most of Russians (76%) know that Russian government is planning to grant a loan to Ukraine and to decrease gas price. One-quarter of Russians (27%) are well aware of that. Those who are most informed are elderly Russians (82% of persons aged 45 and over), residents of Moscow and St.Petersburg (86%). Only every fifth Russian (23%) never heard about that before.
Asked why the Russian president made such a decision, most of respondents answer that his main target was to preserve the friendly relationships between Ukraine and Russia (13%). One-tenth of respondents (10%) believe that this measure would support Ukraine in hard times. Rarer respondents consider this measure as a “fraternal assistance” (7%), an attempt to win Ukraine over to the Russian side (7%), a political move, or a measure against Ukraine joining the European Union (6, for each); respondents also rarely think that Russia is pursuing its own interests (5%).
The VCIOM opinion poll was conducted on January 11-12, 2013. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 communities in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
Do you know/have you heard/do you hear for the first time that Russia agreed to deliver 15 bln dollars to Ukraine and cheaper gas? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and over |
I am well aware about that | 27 | 15 | 21 | 23 | 32 | 34 |
I hear something but I do not know the details | 49 | 48 | 50 | 47 | 50 | 48 |
I hear for the first time about that | 23 | 35 | 28 | 29 | 17 | 16 |
Don`t know | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
In your opinion, why did the Russian president make such a decision? (open-ended question, any number of answers) | |
| Total respondents |
To preserve friendly relationships with Ukraine | 13 |
To support Ukraine; to help Ukraine in hard times | 10 |
To help brotherly people | 7 |
To gain Ukraine over the Russian side | 7 |
Political move | 6 |
To impede Ukraine entering the European Union | 6 |
Economic interests | 5 |
Publicity move; to increase the country rating | 3 |
Too much money; he helps any country except for his own people | 3 |
To protect Russia against NATO; to defend the borders | 2 |
To lay gas pipelines to Europe via Ukraine | 1 |
He knows better what to do | 1 |
Other | 1 |
Don`t know | 39 |
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!