MOSCOW, December 06, 2007 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information concerning the attitude that Russians have to such state institutions as representatives of the President in federal districts, heads of subjects of Russian Federation and of local government in January till November 2007.

In November Russians estimated political activity of heads of subjects of the federation rather positively; the work of representatives of the president in districts and the work of local authorities was evaluated as neutral to positive.

The share of positive responses concerning the activity of representatives of the President of the Russian Federation in federal districts nearly equalled the share of negative ones during the first eleven months of 2007. The only exception was made for the estimations in May and November when the work of this institution was more likely to be approved of: +28%,-24% and +29%,-23% respectively. Every second respondent (47-51%) found it hard to provide an adequate estimation of activity of the representative of the president in his/her district throughout all this time.

In November the work of representatives of the president in Ural, (+44%,-15%), South (+39 %,-26 %) and Volga (+38 %,-18 %) federal districts was more likely to be approved of. However, the activity of this institution in Siberian (+28%,-36%) and Far East (+18%,-29%) districts tended not to be approved of. The neutral balance of responses is noted in Central (+19%,-21%) and North-West (+18%,-18%) districts. Providing assessment of work of representatives of the president caused the greatest difficulties in North-West, Central and Far East FDs (64%, 60% and 53% found it hard to provide an estimation).

Approximately half of respondents (49-52%) estimated the activity of the governor of their region in January - November positively. The share of negative responses varied within the confines of 26-33%; the maximum number of negative estimations was noted in March, whereas the minimum happened to be in November.

Over a half of respondents in Volga (+66%, -20%), Siberian (+66%,-24%) and Ural (+53%,-22%) federal districts estimated the work of heads of subjects of the Russian Federation positively in November this year. The activity of governors of other federal districts was also more likely to be approved of. Thus, in Central FD estimations amounted to +43%,-25%, in Far East to +41%,-26%. In North-West district positive responses were given only a little more often than negative ones: +36%,-30%. The most ambiguous attitude to governors was noted in South FD: nearly half of respondents (49%) approved of the work of the head of the area, region, republic, over a third of them, however, provided a negative estimation of his activity (37%).

The assessment of work of heads of local government (mayors of cities, heads of areas, other municipal entities) have been subject to more fluctuations if compared to responses concerning the activity of representatives of the president and governors. Respondents were especially critically disposed in March this year (+37%,-47%), whereas they were the most positive in November (+43%,-39%). However, the balance of estimations remained overall neutral for the majority of time.

Positive estimations of activity of heads of local government prevailed in the majority of districts in November: in Volga (+48%,-31%), Central (+47%,-39%), North-West (+45%,-36%) and also, to a lesser degree, in Ural (+35%,-30%) and Siberian (+46%,-41%) federal districts. Whereas in South and Far East districts negative responses were voiced more often than positive ones (+38%,-49% and +30%,-49% respectively).

The all-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM in January - November 9-10, 2007. Each time 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.