Only 12% are aware of who is Sergei Magnitsky. The adoption of the Magnitsky list is perceived negatively because Russians regard it as an American attempt to put pressure on Russia.
MOSCOW, December 21, 2012. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the information concerning what Russians know about S. Magnitsky and the so called “Magnitsky list”; how they assess the adoption of this law in the U.S.; what the U.S. is pursuing by signing this law.
Russians poorly know who Sergei Magnitsky is: most of respondents have heard about him for the first time (53%) or know only his surname (35%). Those who are more or less informed about the Magnitsky case represent 12% of all Russians polled: 6% know that he was a lawyer who died in prison; the shares of those who know that he worked for a foreign company and disclosed financial fraud are also small (2%, for each); 1% heard about him in the context of the Magnitsky list; the same share of respondents believe that he was a public figure.
Russians are poorly informed about the Magnitsky list: most of them know nothing (42%) or heard nothing but the expression (44%). Those who correctly tell what the list is about are not numerous: 4% know that the list contains the names of persons who are involved in Magnitsky`s death; 2% say that the list restricts entry to the U.S. for rights abuse Russians. Five percent believe that the document refers to a number of persons that Americans, for some reasons, ban from entering their country. Other 2% perceive the Magnitsly list as a ban on Russian officials to enter the U.S.
As to the purposes of this list, Russians mention that the U.S. tries to put pressure on Russia (29%). 19% believe that Americans have some hidden purposes; 12% regard the list as an attempt to stir up conflict between the two countries; 7% tend to think that the U.S. tries to achieve entry restrictions for Russians. Only 16% are confident that the U.S. seeks respect for human rights in Russia.
As a response to the Magnitsky list, respondents would prohibit Russian officials from having bank accounts and property abroad so that foreign states could have less chances to put pressure on Russia (86%). Russians also proposed to conduct an objective investigation on the death of S. Magnitsky (75%). Almost two-thirds of respondents approved of signing a law referring to those who abuse the rights of Russian citizens residing in the U.S. (63%). And only 40% would provide the U.S. with all the information about persons who abused the human rights in Russia to put them in this list.
The initiative Russian opinion polls were conducted on December 15-16, 2012. 1600 respondents were interviewed at 138 sampling points in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
Do you know anything about Sergei Magnitsky and his activities? Who is he, and what is he known for? (open-ended question, any number of answers) | |
Lawyer who died in prison | 6 |
He fought against corruption and disclosed financial fraud | 2 |
I heard about him in connection with the Magnitsky list | 1 |
Lawyer who worked for a foreign company | 2 |
Public figure | 1 |
I hear only his surname; I know nothing about him | 53 |
I hear his surname for the first time; I know nothing about him | 35 |
Do you know/have you heard/ do you hear for the first time about the so called “Magnitsky list”? If you have heard anything, what exactly? (consequences of the adoption of this list, who it applies to et cet.) (open-ended question, any number of answers) | |
Ban from entering the U.S. for a certain number of persons that Americans do not want to see in their country | 5 |
List of persons involved in the death of Magnitsky | 4 |
American legal act that bans Russian human rights offenders from entering the U.S. | 2 |
Ban on officials in general from entering the U.S. | 2 |
I heard about the Magnitsky list but I do not know what it means | 44 |
I hear for the first time about it | 42 |
Other | 1 |
The list of Magnitsky is an American act that bans Russians who abused the rule of law or human rights in Russia (for example Sergei Magnitsky who died in prison during the investigation) from entering the U.S. or from having property or bank accounts in the U.S. Some people believe that this act was signed into law to improve the human rights situation in Russia. Others believe that the U.S. has hidden purposes. In your opinion, what does the U.S. want to achieve? (open-ended question, any number of answers) | |
An attempt to put pressure on Russia, to promote American interest against Russian interests | 29 |
The U.S. has hidden purposes | 19 |
The U.S. seeks a conflict with Russia | 12 |
The U.S. wants to achieve respect for human rights | 16 |
The U.S. want to ban Russians form entering the country | 7 |
Other | 4 |
Hard to tell | 19 |
There is a wide discussion on Russian response to the Magnitsky list. What should Russia do to respond to this act, in your opinion? (close-ended question, one answer per each position) | |||
| Rather support | Rather not support | Hard to tell |
To provide the U.S. with all the information about rights abuse offenders in Russia to put these persons in the list | 40 | 45 | 15 |
To ban top officials from having foreign property and bank accounts so that foreign states could have less possibilities to put pressure on Russia | 86 | 8 | 6 |
To carry out our own objective investigation about the death of S.Magnitsky and to punish those who are guilty, without any participation of other states | 75 | 14 | 10 |
To adopt a retaliatory law addressed to those who abused the rights of Russian citizens residing in the U.S. | 63 | 24 | 13 |
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!