MOSCOW, December 21, 2007 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) upon request of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) presents information on what attitude Russian entrepreneurs have towards the demands that the different society layers express to review the outcome of privatization, how they estimate the extent to which law protects private property in contemporary Russia and the chances that they have to stand upon their rights.

More than half of entrepreneurs (58%) find it necessary to make a compromise in order to meet the demands of the different society layers and politicians regarding review of the privatization results, i.e. to reanalyze the results of part of the transactions carried out with violations of law. Those who consider it inadmissible to doubt the competency of the present owners of the privatized property constitute no more than a scarce minority (17%). Therese are, primarily, owners and heads of large and middle-size companies, whose interests can be the first to be infringed on in case of revisions of privatization results (19-20%, cf.:12% in the small business sector). However no more than 15% of businessmen are ready to face the new total split-up which may occur as a result of the system revision of privatization results. Representatives of small business adhere to this assertion more often than others (18%, cf.: 14% in sector of middle-size and large companies).

The majority of business-community representatives (62%) are not yet willing to share the point of view that there exists a civilized attitude to private property in Russia nowadays. (More or less) optimistic estimations of this factor are less numerous and only account for 15%. 20% of entrepreneurs believe that the attitude towards private property in the society is partially civilized and partially not. The average score of the development of the civilized attitude in the society to private property amounts to 3.08, where 7 was the highest score.

The integral index of how businessmen estimate the extent to which law protects private property in contemporary Russia is still lower: 2.94 points out of 7 (11% gave more or less positive estimations of safety level, 16% provided average estimations, whereas 65% gave more negative ones). In other words, entrepreneurs consider the legislative base that private property in Russia rests on, to be less developed than the actual social relations that are developing in the society in respect to private property. Thus, the smaller the subject of business is, the less confidence its owner or head has that the property right resides under the solid protection of law; it is in the small business sector that the value of the average score of estimations regarding the safety level of private property reaches its minimum (2.8 points out of 7).

Nevertheless, the majority of businessmen consider the law and applying to court to be the main defenders of their rights (78%). Such ways of self-defence, turning to executive bodies, mass-media, self-activity, are today in the middle distance in the list of possible actions that businessmen may take in case of infringement of their rights (18-35%).

Thus, the willingness of businessmen to apply to court is quite high in case of infringement of their legitimate rights by other businessmen or individuals (86%), however, it radically decreases, if their hypothetical counterparts happen to be authorities (54%). At the same time, the share of those who will not try to stand upon their rights if the defendant will not be another businessmen, but governing institutions, increases fourfold: from 11 up to 40%. Owners and heads of small businesses are especially pessimistically disposed as far as lawsuits against governing institutions are concerned: 44% of respondents among them will not even try to stand upon their legitimate rights in this case.

The unwillingness of many businessmen to apply to court if the defendant there will be a governing institution, instead of other businessmen or individuals, rests on the assertion that the rule "All are equal before the law" does not work in Russia. 59% of respondents think that a company like theirs does not really have high chances of winning a lawsuit against authorities, or does not have any chances at all. And only 31% estimate their chances positively. However, when it comes to standing upon their rights against other businessmen just like they are, chances of a victory look quite optimistic: +82%,-12%.

Cases of unfair competition among businessmen occupy the first place in the uncommon rating of infringements of legitimate rights in business (60% of respondents have experienced them during the last 2 years). The second and third places belong to infringements of the rights of businessmen exercised by authority - indirect, by giving preference to certain companies (39%), and direct ones (28%). 17% of businessmen have encountered cases of corporate raids, every tenth Russian enterprise has become object of violence and threats from criminal groupings, whereas 2% admitted that were repeatedly exposed to them.

The survey of 1200 Russian businessmen (owners and top-managers of private companies) was carried out in September - October 2007 in 40 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The selection represents the enterprise community according to branch affiliation (based on three macro branches, i.e. the industry and construction; transport and communication; service and trade) and is proportional to their share in the national economy and the size of the enterprises (according to the number people employed).

*Average score = 3.08  

** Average score = 2.94