MOSCOW, May, 30, 2007. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) submits information concerning Russians' fears.
Common fears are being replaced by personal ones. In comparison with 1992 the parts of respondents with the following fears have declined: starvation (from 11% down to 5%); war, mass murder (from 24% down to 18%); physical violence (from 6% down to 2%). The most wide-spread fears now are those of loosing relatives (increase from 21% up to 28%); old age, sickness, feebleness (stays at 10-11% level); fear of authorities' tyranny (now as well as 15 years ago is kept 8% level). The part of those who are "not afraid of anything" has increased (from 1% up to 7%).
The answer "not afraid of anything" is more typical for men rather than women (11% and 4%). Meanwhile men identify fear of authorities' tyranny more often than women (10% and 5%). Other fears of both genders match.
Generally, the older respondents fear old age, sickness and feebleness more often than youth (4% in group of 18-24 years old and 16% in the group of ‘60+'); starvation (3% and 9%); God's wrath, Day of Judgement (1% and 8%); but are more patient about loosing relatives (36% and 17%).
The more educated the respondents are, the less they fear starvation (11% in the group with incomplete secondary and 3% in the group of higher and incomplete higher education); poverty (13% and 7%); old age, sickness and feebleness (16% and 9%). and are more afraid of loosing their relatives (14% and 33%).
Low purchasing power is more typical for those respondents who fear the starvation (8% of those who hardly make the ends meet and 1% of those who can easily buy durable goods), the poverty (17% and 8%); old age, sickness and feebleness (14% and 10%). Moreover the financially unsuccessful respondents rarely identify the fear of loosing relatives (21% and 36%), as well as the fear of war and mass murder (13% and 18%).
The fear of war and mass murder is especially likely for Muscovites and St. Petersburg residents (29%, meanwhile in other cities and тогда как в других городах and village they make16-18%). At the same time Muscovites fear starvation (less than 1% and 4-6%) and poverty (3% and 8-13%) less. The highest level of those who are afraid of poverty is within respondents living in small towns (13%).
All-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM, January, 27-28, 2007. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population centers of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.
What do you fear the most? | ||
| 1992 | 2007 |
Starvation | 11 | 5 |
Poverty | 8 | 9 |
Authorities' tyranny | 8 | 8 |
Physical violence | 6 | 2 |
Affronts and insults | 4 | 2 |
Loosing relative | 21 | 28 |
Own death | 3 | 3 |
God's wrath, Day of Judgement | 4 | 4 |
War, mass murder | 24 | 18 |
Old age, sickness, feebleness | 10 | 11 |
I do not fear anyting | 1 | 7 |
Other | 0 | 1 |
In difficulty to answer | 0 | 2 |
What do you fear the most? | |||
| Total respondents | Gender | |
Men | Women | ||
Starvation | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Poverty | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Authorities' tyranny | 8 | 10 | 5 |
Physical violence | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Affronts and insults | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Loosing relative | 28 | 26 | 29 |
Own death | 3 | 2 | 4 |
God's wrath, Day of Judgement | 4 | 3 | 5 |
War, mass murder | 18 | 17 | 20 |
Old age, sickness, feebleness | 11 | 9 | 12 |
I do not fear anyting | 7 | 11 | 4 |
Other | 1 | 1 | 1 |
In difficulty to answer | 2 | 4 | 2 |
What do you fear the most? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and older | ||
Starvation | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
Poverty | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
Authorities' tyranny | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
Physical violence | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Affronts and insults | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Loosing relative | 28 | 36 | 37 | 28 | 25 | 17 |
Own death | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
God's wrath, Day of Judgement | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
War, mass murder | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Old age, sickness, feebleness | 11 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 16 |
I do not fear anything | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
In difficulty to answer | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
What do you fear the most? | |||||
| Total respondents | Education | |||
Incomplete secondary | Complete general secondary (including secondary PTU) | Complete specialized secondary (technikum) | Incomplete higher (at least three years), higher | ||
Starvation | 5 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Poverty | 9 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
Authorities' tyranny | 8 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 7 |
Physical violence | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Affronts and insults | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Loosing relative | 28 | 14 | 26 | 30 | 33 |
Own death | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
God's wrath, Day of Judgement | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
War, mass murder | 18 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 18 |
old age, sickness, feebleness | 11 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
I do not fear anyting | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
Other | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 |
In difficulty to answer | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
What do you fear the most? | |||||
| Total respondents | Purchasing power | |||
We hardly make both ends meet | We can afford food, but purchasing clothes is a problem | We can afford food and clothes. But purchasing durable goods (TV set, fridge) is a problem | We can easily afford durable goods. But purchasing really expensive goods (car, for instance) is a problem | ||
Starvation | 5 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
Poverty | 9 | 17 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
Authorities' tyranny | 8 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 5 |
Physical violence | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Affronts and insults | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Loosing relative | 28 | 21 | 22 | 30 | 36 |
Own death | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
God's wrath, Day of Judgement | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
War, mass murder | 18 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 18 |
old age, sickness, feebleness | 11 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
I do not fear anyting | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
In difficulty to answer | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
What do you fear the most? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Type of population center | ||||
Moscow and St Petersburg | More than 500thousand | 100-500thousand | Less than 100thousand | Village | ||
Starvation | 5 | - | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Poverty | 9 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 9 |
Authorities' tyranny | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
Physical violence | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Affronts and insults | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Loosing relative | 28 | 26 | 31 | 27 | 24 | 29 |
Own death | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
God's wrath, Day of Judgement | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
War, mass murder | 18 | 29 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
old age, sickness, feebleness | 11 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 12 |
I do not fear anything | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
Other | 1 | - | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
In difficulty to answer | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 |