MOSCOW, October 11, 2007 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information concerning the attitude that Russians have towards religion, how they estimate its role in the modern society, and the mutual relations between the church and the state.

Half of Russians are believers, including 10% who attend church regularly, observe all rites and rituals, and 43% who go to church only on holidays and do not observe all of the rites and rituals. One third of respondents (31%) consider the existence of God possible, but are only little interested in church life. Convinced atheists account for no more than 6% of respondents, whereas 8% do not give thought to the issue of religion.

Orthodoxy presents the most wide-spread religion in Russia (practiced by 75% of respondents), 8% are Muslims. No more than 1-2% respondents identify themselves as belonging to any other religion.

People are primarily attracted to religion because they are willing to communicate to the national heritage; see their moral ideal in faith; are eager to find comfort when in sorrow or have difficulties in life, as 19-21% of respondents assume. People more rarely associate this attraction to religion with a belief in something supernatural, a divine disposal; or because it is now fashionable (9-10% for each option). Only 3% explain this tendency by people's illiteracy and backwardness. Each tenth respondent does not think that there is any particular attraction to religion nowadays.

The higher the level of education of the respondents is, the more they are inclined to associate the interest in religion with the tendency towards a moral ideal (16% in the group of respondents with education lower than secondary and 22% in the group with higher and uncompleted higher education) and the fewer of them connect it with the belief in something supernatural (15% and 8%).

However, Russians refuse to attribute the role of the main source of moral values for the growing up generation to the church. 67% of respondents assume that children and young people should first of all receive the idea of morals and morality in their own families, and secondly at school (17%).Only 4% of respondents mention the Church as the source of moral values, whereas television and other mass media obtain the support of 5% of respondents, literature and skill 3% and the army 1%.

The initiative All-Russia opinion polls were conducted by VCIOM on August 25-26 and September 1-2, 2007. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.