Russians believe that Belarus and Kazakhstan are the most successful CIS countries and main Russia’s partners.
MOSCOW, December 10, 2015. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the opinions of Russians concerning the CIS countries that they think are the most successful; which countries they would like to be Russia’s partners; where Russian-speaking population ‘rights are best respected; which CIS leader they trust more.
Russian likings for Belarus and Kazakhstan keep strengthening year-by-year; they are the countries Russians call the most successful ones among the CIS countries: in 2015, the corresponding answers were 72% and 50% (from 66% and 45% in 2014).
The remainder are still rarely mentioned except for Ukraine; this country left the top three leaders in 2014 and failed to retrieve its position this year (only 1% of respondents believe that this country is successful among the former USSR republics). Every tenth mentions Armenia (11%) and Azerbaijan (10%); a further 6% cite Georgia; 4% - Kyrgyzstan; Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are mentioned by 3% (per each country); Moldavia and Tajikistan are named by 1 % (per each).
The answers to the question concerning the partners of Russia across the post-Soviet space revealed the same trend. Belarus (68%) and Kazakhstan (53%; 46% in 2014) are at the top of the ranking; they are followed by Armenia (10%), Kyrgyzstan (7%), Azerbaijan (5%), Uzbekistan (3%), Georgia (3%), Moldavia (1%), Turkmenistan (1%), Tajikistan (1%), Ukraine (less than 1%).
The countries where the rights of the Russian-speaking population are best ensured are Belarus (69%) and Kazakhstan (32%). Rarer respondents cite Armenia – 6%, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan – 3% (per each), Moldavia, Uzbekistan, Georgia – 2% (per each), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine - 1% (per each).
Presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan are the most trustworthy leaders of the CIS countries: Aleksandr Lukashanko (63%), Nursultan Nazarbaev (45%; from 38% in 2014). Other leaders appear to be less reliable: Aliyev Ilham – 6%, Serj Sargsyan – 5%, Almazbek Atambaev - 4%, Islam Karimov and Giorgi Margvelashvili – 2% (per each), Nicolae Timofti, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Emomali Rahmon – 1% (per each), Petr Poroshenko – less than 1%.
The VCIOM opinion poll was conducted November 22-23, 2015; 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 settlements in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%
Which of the following countries is the most successful today? | ||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Belarus | 31 | 35 | 45 | 50 | 66 | 72 |
Kazakhstan | 34 | 42 | 33 | 35 | 45 | 50 |
Armenia | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
Azerbaijan | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
Georgia | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
Turkmenistan | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Uzbekistan | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Moldavia | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Ukraine | 19 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 2 | 1 |
Tajikistan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Don’t know | 33 | 29 | 29 | 22 | 16 | 13 |
Which CIS country is the most reliable Russia’s partner? (closed-ended question, not more than three answers, %) | ||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Belarus | 23 | 36 | 46 | 51 | 65 | 68 |
Kazakhstan | 37 | 42 | 38 | 37 | 46 | 53 |
Armenia | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
Azerbaijan | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
Uzbekistan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Georgia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Moldavia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
Turkmenistan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Tajikistan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Ukraine | 21 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 3 | <1 |
Don’t know | 34 | 29 | 28 | 21 | 17 | 17 |
In which of the following countries are the rights of the Russian-speaking population best protected? (closed-ended question, not more than three answers, %) | ||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Belarus | 27 | 45 | 46 | 52 | 63 | 69 |
Kazakhstan | 21 | 25 | 24 | 18 | 31 | 32 |
Armenia | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Azerbaijan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
Moldavia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
Uzbekistan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Georgia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Ukraine | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
Turkmenistan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Tajikistan | 1 | 1 | 1 | <1 | 1 | 1 |
Don’t know | 45 | 35 | 36 | 31 | 24 | 22 |
Which of the following leaders are the most reliable? | ||||||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
Lukashenko Aleksandr (President of Belarus) | 16 | 28 | 34 | 41 | 61 | 63 |
Nazarbaev Nursultan (President of Kazakhstan) | 32 | 37 | 31 | 33 | 38 | 45 |
Aliyev Ilham (President of Azerbaijan) | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Sargsyan Serj (President of Armenia) | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Atambaev Almazbek (President of Kyrgyzstan) * | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Karimov Islam (President of Uzbekistan) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Margvelashvili Georgi (President of Georgia)** | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Timofti Nicolae (President of Moldavia) *** | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Berdimuhamedow Gurbanguly (President of Turkmenia) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Rahmon Emomali (President of Tajikistan) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Poroshenko Petr (President of Ukraine) **** | 17 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 1 | <1 |
Don’t know | 43 | 36 | 38 | 32 | 23 | 19 |
* In 2010-2011, the question referred to Roza Otunbaeva
** Before 2013 (inclusively) the question referred to Mikheil Saakashvili
*** In 2010, the question referred Michael Ghimpu; in 2011 – Mariana Lupu
**** Before 2013, the question referred Viktor Yanukovich
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.