| As in the past 75 per cent of Russians believe that "the
state should resolve all the country's problems." Moreover, the majority
are convinced that the state has not been doing this: 66% of respondents
are negative in their view as to how the state "provides social security
for citizens." Most Russians believe that the state authorities in
Russia are simply weak: 33% of Russians think so, and another 33% think
that the authorities are weaker than stronger. Another 22% of respondents
hold the opinion that the state authorities in the country are stronger,
and only 8% are convinced that it is. It thereby transpires that the ratio
of sceptics and believers in state authorities is 66% to 30%.
Opinions on that score depend on political sympathies. The Communist
Party and LDPR are on one flank. The ratio of sceptics and believers there
is 73 to 19 and 78 to 21 correspondingly. Voters of the United Russia
and Union of Right-Wing Forces are in the center. The ratio there is 52
to 46 and 52 to 33. Yabloko supporters are not particularly worried about
the weakness of the state. The ratio of sceptics and believers in this
stratum is 48 to 49.
If the state does not wield a lot of power, who does? Paradoxically
as it may appear, there is a widespread opinion on that score. 31% of
respondents believe that "real power in Russia is wielded by large
capitals and oligarchs." 18% assume that power is wielded by the
president and 17% by organized crime. 12% of respondents believe that
power is wielded by state officials and bureaucrats and 4% think that
the Duma wields the power. 4% believe that power rests with local power
structures and 2% with regional and territorial authorities. Virtually
nobody believes that power rests with the people.
In other words, 40% of respondents believe that power in Russia is wielded
by state institutions of all sorts. 48% are convinced that power rests
with oligarchic and criminal circles. What is particularly sad is that
the President is believed to wield as much power as the underworld. Vladimir
Putin's supporters, his future voters, are no more optimistic on that
score than, say, Gennadi Zyuganov's supporters. 23% of the former believe
that the President wields real power in the country and 15% that power
rests with organized crime. Among the latter, the ratio is 15 to 14. 32%
in both camps are convinced that power rests with oligarchs.
The future is not going to be any better. 42% respondents believe it
"rather possible" and 31% "fairly possible" that "oligarchs
and representatives of major businesses may come to wield absolute power
in the country in the near future." Only 22% of respondents consider
it "rather" or "fairly impossible". United Russia's
voters and communist followers do not differ in their estimates that much.
Oligarchs' "absolute control" is believed possible by 75% of
the supporters of the United Russia and 77% of the Communist Party. Asked
a different question ("What clout with state power and policy will
oligarchs wield in a decade?"), 33% of respondents believe that it
will remain unchanged (i.e. considerable), 44% think that it will grow,
and only 13% optimistically assume that the clout will diminish. Putin's
and Zyuganov's supporters do not differ much in their attitude - 46% and
43% correspondingly believe that the oligarchic clout with state power
will increase.
It is interesting to consider respondents' opinions on the arrests of
senior officers of law enforcement agencies charged with bribery and corruption.
The media criticizes the arrests as a PR action aimed to enhance the prestige
of the police and its upper echelons, but 35% of respondents regard the
action as the beginning of a war on organized crime. At the same time,
25% believe that "this is a political action, an element of political
wars", 20% assume that "old scores are being settled",
while 12% of respondents "have not heard" about the action.
Putin's voters are particularly optimistic about the importance and
true meaning of the action against corrupt law enforcement officers. 42%
believe it to be the beginning of a war on organized crime. 61% voters
of the Union of Right-Wing Forces and 40% of United Russia evaluate the
action as necessary and long overdue. In the Yabloko camp, however, only
14% supporters believe that the action has anything to do with a war on
organized crime, 37% od followers are convinced that this is a PR action,
and 32% advocate the hypothesis that this is simply a settlement of scores.
See also:
State Duma Elections
2003
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