MOSCOW, February 20, 2008 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information on how Russians estimate the role and work of organizations dealing with public opinion research.Every third Russian (31%) has participated in public opinion polls, focus-groups or other research procedures. No more than 4% of respondents specify that they are well informed of the organizations conducting sociological research (this share totalled 8% in 2005). Another 37% have a general idea of these organizations’ activity. More than half of Russians (57%) do not know anything about the sociologists.VCIOM occupies the first place in the recognisability rating (14% of respondents could remember and mention this organization’s name), it is followed by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) with the share of 8% of respondents able to remember them. FOM used to occupy the first place only three years ago, while VCIOM in its turn was on the second place in the rating. 3% of respondents were able to recollect “Levada Center”; no more than 1% of respondents could mention any other organization working with sociological research.However, FOM leads in the rating of organizations dealing with public opinion research in Russia when respondents were given an “aid list”, still the share of respondents to mention this organization has decreased in the course of the last three years (from 48% down to 41%). With this in mind, the share of those who “recognizes” VCIOM (from 20% up to 36%) and “Levada Center” (from 5% up to 12%) in the list of sociological organizations has simultaneously increased.The activity of the sociological organizations is generally positively perceived and estimated in the society as a whole, even though the sociologists’ image has suffered a small damage. Thus, if compared with the data obtained in 2005, the share of those who believe that conducting sociological surveys ensures certain “feedback” from the people to the authorities has reduced from 84% down to 76%. This has happened due to the growth of the portion of respondents who find it hard to provide an answer to this question.Over a half of respondents (56%) assume that the results obtained in the course of surveys are used by the authorities, politicians or entrepreneurs in order to increase their work efficiency. The share of respondents who do not agree with this assertion has reduced during the last three years (from 26% down to 17%), the number of respondents who cannot provide an estimation has increased at the same time.Two thirds of respondents (67%) believed in 2005 that opinion polls are mostly conducted with the purpose of scientific research, today this opinion is only shared by half of respondents (51%). Russians are becoming increasingly convinced that organizations conducting opinion polls are simply earning money on it (from 40% up to 44%); the share of respondents disagreeing with this assertion has drastically decreased (from 45% down to 27%).No more than 16% of respondents identify that sociologic companies aim at obtaining respondents’ information for its further use for their selfish ends. Over a half of respondents do not share this point of view (however, a much higher share of Russians was sure of the sociologists’ disinterestedness: 74%).One forth of respondents believe that data obtained in polls are often forged and used to manipulate public conscience. This share was approximately the same in 2005 (28%). Nevertheless, if compared with the data received in 2005, the share of those who do not agree with the assertion has significantly decreased (from 51% down to 37%), and the number of respondents who find it hard to provide an answer to this question has increased.Three years back every third respondent (35%) considered opinion survey and other types of sociological research to be nothing but a matter of fashion that does not do neither good, nor harm, and every second respondent (51%) opposed this statement. Now the opinions are split into three nearly equal parts: 32% think of sociology as fashion, those who disagree with them are a little more numerous (38%), and 30% find it hard to provide an answer to this question.The share of respondents interested in the data obtained as a result of public opinion polls has decreased during the last three years (from 75% down to 66%); as well as the shares of those who believe survey results reflect the actual opinions of Russian citizens (from 76% down to 69%), and of those who think that public opinion polls are a must for our society (from 86% down to 76%),  despite of it all, the majority of Russians is still interested in the survey data, trusts opinion polls and believes in their being useful for our society.The initiative all-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM on January  8-9, 2008. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%