RATINGS OF VLADIMIR PUTIN AND DMITRY MEDVEDEV ARE AT THEIR ALL-TIME HIGH
73% Russians have trust in Premier Vladimir Putin and 59% in President Dmitry Medvedev.
Public Opinion Foundation sociologists report the ratings of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev at their all-time high these days. Opinion polls show that 73% Russians have trust in the prime minister and 59% in the president. Sociologists approached 2,000 respondents in 100 cities and townships.
Other sociologists in the meantime claim the Putin’s popularity peak remained in 2007.
Along with measuring the Russians’ trust in the leaders, the Public Opinion Foundation traditionally gauged what the population thought of their performance. As it turned out, 78% respondents backed Putin’s anti-crisis efforts and only 12% believed that he should have done better. As for Medvedev, 67% said that he was doing fine and 18% thought differently. Back in early 2009, the latter had numbered 25%.
St.Petersburg Politics President Foundation Mikhail Vinogradov attributed the rising rating to three factors. “There were absolutely no negative events last week, nothing to criticize the authorities for,” Vinogradov said. “On the contrary, the powers-that-be pulled off some fairly successful PR tricks. The filming of bare-chested Putin was definitely one. I reckon that this trick will up his rating even more. And besides, we ought to bear in mind the campaign of propaganda launched in connection with anniversary of the war in the Caucasus.”
Vinogradov suggested that ratings of the two leaders were going to take a plunge with the coming winter – the way their did last year.
Putin’s popularity keeps growing for the time being but the rating of the structures he is the head of is on a decline. Trust in the United Russia party dropped 4%. As matters stand, 54% respondents would have cast their votes for the ruling party (10% less than what it polled in the previous campaign). Forty-four percent approved of the performance of the government and 43% disapproved. (These figures had been 39% against 49% a month ago).
There is one other nuance that should alert the Cabinet. Judging by the latest opinion poll, only 16% respondents thought that the government was taking their interests into account but 27% were convinced otherwise. Also importantly, 39% Russians thought that the executive branch of the government and the media were keeping the true state of affairs with the national economy from society. Should ministers of Putin’s Cabinet start disrobing before TV cameras too?
