Russians believe that the Victory Day Parade helps commemorating the heroic act of people; it is organised for the ordinary citizens, mainly veterans and young generation, rather than the heads of the foreign states.
MOSCOW, April 23, 2015. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the results of the survey describing the Russian opinion on the following questions. Does our society pay enough attention to the Great Patriotic War veterans? What is the meaning of the Victory Day Parade? Is it important to see the leaders of foreign states present at the Moscow Parade?
According to Russians, today much is being done for the war veterans than five years ago. The share of those who are confident that the Great Patriotic War veterans are treated with due attention has increased from 29% in 2010 to 46% in 2015. To prove this respondents mention increase in pensions, house quotas, various benefits and allowances. They are opposed by 48% of respondents who say that not enough attention is being paid to veterans (63% in 2010). They are mainly those who know veterans in person (56%), supporters of CPRF (56%), and residents of big cities (59%). Those who think so say that veterans are poor, the targeted social assistance is not sufficient, and people treat them indifferently.
What the Victory Day Parades should commemorate is heroic acts of people during the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, according to every second Russian (47%). The Victory Day Parade is also a tribute to those who fell in the war (15%) and to celebrate those who stayed alive (12%); some people perceive it as an element of patriotic education of the youth (11%). The parades are organised for veterans first (46%) rather than for the younger generation (30%). Very few respondents consider that the main parade spectators are the leaders of Russia (5%) and other states (3%).
An overwhelming majority of Russians (91%) watch the Victory Day Parade, including 18% of those who can see the parade with their own eyes and 73% of those who watch its translations. More than half of Russians (58%) have heard that the leaders of many other countries refused to attend the Moscow parade. Most of those who are aware of that are retired persons (68%), those who have high income (66%) and high level of education (65%). Forty-two percent of Russians consider it important for other countries participated in the Second World War to attend the Red Square Parade, whereas 52% pay no attention to that (61% of metropolitan residents).
The survey was conducted on April 4-5, 2015; 1600 respondents were interviewed in 132 communities in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%.
In your opinion, are the Great Patriotic War veterans paid enough or not enough attention today? (closed-ended question, one answer) | ||
| 2010 | 2015 |
Definitely, enough | 5 | 14 |
Rather enough | 24 | 32 |
Rather not enough | 48 | 30 |
Definitely, not enough | 15 | 18 |
Don`t know | 8 | 6 |
Why do you think that the Great Patriotic War veterans are paid enough attention today in Russia? (open-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who think that enough attention is paid to veterans in modern Russian society) | |
| Total respondents |
High pension | 22 |
Housing allocation | 21 |
Bonuses, benefits | 20 |
People remember about them and respect them | 6 |
They are welcome at any celebrations, they receive greetings | 5 |
They are provided with everything they need | 4 |
Healthcare allowance | 3 |
Social assistance programs | 3 |
Awards | 2 |
Authorities pay lots of attention to them | 2 |
They are granted cars | 1 |
Other | 1 |
Don`t know | 42 |
Why do you think that little attention is paid to the Great Patriotic War veterans in Russia today? (open-ended question, any number of answers, % of those who think that little attention is paid to veterans in modern Russian society) | |
| Total respondents |
Poverty | 17 |
Insufficient assistance (social assistance programs) | 14 |
People remember about them only on the eve of the celebrations | 12 |
Housing was not allocated to everyone | 11 |
People have forgotten about them; children do not remember them, they are not respected | 10 |
Poor living conditions | 7 |
Poor healthcare allowances | 4 |
Social programs are not enough | 4 |
Minimal benefits and allowances | 3 |
Solitude | 2 |
Targeted attention (“not everyone has equal allowance and benefits”, “rural area and urban residents are treated differently”) | 2 |
Poor protection against fraud or aggressive behavior | 2 |
Indifference of authorities, bureaucracy | 1 |
Other | 1 |
Don`t know | 29 |
On May 9th the victory parade will take place in Moscow. What is the idea behind the parade? (open-ended question , any number of answers) | ||
| 2010 | 2015 |
To remember the history of the country and the heroic acts of people | 31 | 47 |
To pay tribute to those who fell in the war; expressing gratitude to ancestors | 20 | 15 |
To bring joy to the veterans, to congratulate them | 9 | 12 |
To show the military power of the country | 18 | 12 |
Patriotic education of young people; a method to tell about the country`s history | 11 | 11 |
To feel proud of the country and the victory | - | 5 |
Unification of people and generations | 8 | 3 |
Just a good tradition | 4 | 3 |
Pointless event, showing off | 2 | 1 |
Other | <1 | 1 |
Don`t know | 15 | 12 |
In your opinion, for who are the Victory Day Parades organized? closed-ended question, one answer) | ||
| 2010 | 2015 |
Veterans | 39 | 46 |
Young generation | 29 | 30 |
All Russian residents | 9 | 11 |
Country`s leadership | 7 | 5 |
Heads of foreign states, international community | 5 | 3 |
Military men | 5 | 2 |
Other | 1 | 1 |
No one; no one needs them; they should be cancelled | 1 | 1 |
Don`t know | 3 | 1 |
Do you personally watch the Victory Day Parade? (closed-ended question, one answer) | ||
| 2010 | 2015 |
Yes, I attend the parade personally | 10 | 18 |
Yes, I watch television broadcast | 73 | 73 |
No, I am not interested in it | 13 | 8 |
Don`t know | 5 | 1 |
Do you know/ have you heard /have you just found out that the leaders of certain countries that participated in the Second World War refuse to attend the Moscow Victory Day Parade? (closed-ended question, one answer) | ||||||
| Total respondents | Aged 18-24 | Aged 25-34 | Aged 35-44 | Aged 45-59 | Aged 60 and more |
I am well aware of that | 22 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 28 |
I heard something but I do not know any details | 36 | 30 | 30 | 36 | 39 | 40 |
This is the first time I hear about that | 40 | 58 | 52 | 40 | 33 | 30 |
Don`t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
In your opinion, is it important for Russia to see the leaders of the countries that participated in the Second World War present at the Moscow Victory Day Parade? (closed-ended question, one answer) | |||||||
| Total respondents | Moscow and St.Petersburg | Million cities | More than 500 ths | 100–500 ths | Less than 100 ths | Rural area |
Rather yes | 42 | 33 | 51 | 56 | 42 | 40 | 41 |
Rather not | 52 | 61 | 41 | 38 | 50 | 55 | 53 |
Don`t know | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
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!