MOSCOW, December 22, 2009. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the data describing which constitutional rights seem to be most important for Russians.
The right to life, as before, is considered by Russians to be the most important constitutional right enshrined in the Constitution (61%). Respondents also mentioned right to liberty and security of the person (54%), right to work, and right to health (51% for each). Less significant constitutional ights are as follows: right to housing (43%), right to rest (40% versus 31% respectively), right to social security (38%). This is followed by freedom from interference with privacy, freedom of thought and expression (32% for each), right to education (30%), to protect rights and freedoms (28%), right to mother tongue (23%), right to private property and entrepreneurship (19%), freedom of movement (15%), right to elect and to be elected (13%), right to participate in social ad political life, and religious freedoms (12% for each). The least important right for Russians enshrined in the Constitution is freedom of association (5%).
The importance of constitutional rights and freedoms has increased over the recent years. Now citizens of Russia put more attention to the right to life (from 45% in 2003 to 61% this year), right to liberty and security of the person (from 37 to 54% respectively), right to work (from 45 to 51%), to health (from 43% in 2005 to 51% this year), right to housing (from 32% in 2003 to 43% currently), right to rest (from 31 to 40% respectively), freedom from interference with private life (32% versus 24% in 2003), freedom of thought and expression (from 17% in 2004 to 32% currently), right to protect personal rights (from 16% in 2003 to 28% currently), right to mother tongue (from 11 to 23% respectively) and et cet.
The initiative Russian opinion polls were conducted on December 5-6, 2009. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 140 sampling points in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4 %.
Which of the basic constitutional rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution seem most significant to you? (close-ended question, not more than seven answers) | ||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2009 |
Right to life | 45 | 49 | 58 | 61 |
Right to liberty and security of the person | 37 | 40 | 52 | 54 |
Right to work | 45 | 49 | 50 | 51 |
Right to health | 40 | 47 | 43 | 51 |
Right to housing | 32 | 38 | 41 | 43 |
Right to rest | 31 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
Right to social security in the event of old age, sickness etc. | 33 | 40 | 36 | 38 |
Freedom from interference with privacy | 24 | 25 | 34 | 32 |
Freedom of thought and expression | 19 | 17 | 22 | 32 |
Right to education | 23 | 29 | 24 | 30 |
Right to protect personal rights and freedoms including judicial protection | 16 | 20 | 23 | 28 |
Right to mother tongue | 10 | 11 | 21 | 23 |
Right to private property and entrepreneurship | 13 | 16 | 14 | 19 |
Freedom of movement within the country and outside the country | 9 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
Right to elect and to be elected | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 |
Right to participate in social and political life | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
Religious freedoms | 8 | 7 | 10 | 12 |
Freedom of associations | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
I did not think about that | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
Hard to tell | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or www.wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!