Russians believe protest rallies do more harm than good
MOSCOW. April 25 (Interfax) - The opinions of Russians as to whether protest
rallies do good or harm to the country are split: 41% are convinced that such actions mainly harm Russia, while 31% believe they benefit it.
Supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov have diametrically opposite views concerning protests. Among the president's followers, only 24% believe that protest rallies do good for
the country and 48% take the opposite view, while among Zyuganov's supporters these figures are 62% and 24% respectively.
The Public Opinion Foundation has released this information after conducting a national poll of 1,500 urban and rural citizens in April.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of Russians - 82% - are not going to participate in protest rallies scheduled for May, and only 9% are willing to
join them.
As for Zyuganov's followers, about 25% of them say they will take part in
the protests.
The Communist party has traditionally promised to hold the most large-scale demonstrations. About 45% of the respondents believe that the Communists will be able to organize mass protests during the upcoming May holidays in Russia (among Zyuganov's supporters, this figure comes to 74%), but 38% consider these promises to be just empty words.
Some 63% of those polled were either unable to formulate under what slogans a mass protest should be held or were sure that they would not take part in any demonstrations.
Another 26% of the respondents, who named various slogans, put forward social and economic demands, the most popular of which were "end poverty" and "a decent life for everyone." These slogans are supported by 17% of those polled.
Only 7% of the respondents put forward political demands, the most common
among them being "back to the USSR," "return Soviet power," and "end the war
in Chechnya" (2% each).
When asked what public or political organizations could stage a large-scale protest rally capable of attracting people's attention, 7% named
the Communist party and 5% named trade unions.
At the same time, 37% believe that mass demonstrations and protest rallies will remain at the same level in the next several months, 28% think they will recede, and 22% take the view that they will intensify.