Paul
Goble
Staunton, January 19 – Despite the
Kremlin’s claims of near monolithic unity among Russians on the basis of
Vladimir Putin’s stratospheric approval ratings, the residents of the Russian
Federation are split almost exactly down the middle on whether their country is
in a good place now or not and as to how its situation will be two decades from
now.
According to the results of a new
poll by the Public Opinion Foundation, “approximately 45 percent of Russians
are dissatisfied with the situation” in Russia as a whole, while 47 percent say
they are satisfied “on the whole,” noteworthy figures given the Kremlin media’s
constantly upbeat tone (fom.ru/Budushchee/13169 and nakanune.ru/news/2017/1/19/22458551/).
Russians are also
split down the middle, the survey found, concerning the situation in their
place of residence, with 49 percent saying they are satisfied and 44 percent
saying they aren’t and about the future with 59 percent saying they expect the situation
to improve over the next 20 years, while the rest expect no change or even a
deterioration.
Similar
divides were found among Russians concerning their evaluation of healthcare,
economics, education and medical services both now and in the future. Perhaps especially important given the aging
of the population, only 31 percent said the elderly would have a better life in
20 years, while according to 40 percent, it would remain much as it is now.
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