Nearly three quarters of Russians feel they have no influence over country, poll finds

Nearly three quarters of Russians feel they have no influence over country, poll finds
The area in which most Russians felt they have some influence was at home, but even then only four out of every 10 respondents felt that they had full or a large amount of influence in their households. / Photo: YouTube
By Henry Kirby in London July 14, 2016

Nearly three quarters of Russians feel that they have no ability to influence events in their country, up from 59% only two years ago, a poll by Moscow’s Levada-Center has found.

Only 5% of those polled believed that they have a strong ability to influence what happens in Russia, with only 17% saying that even have a marginal ability to influence – down from 30% in March 2014.

The area in which most Russians felt they have some influence was at home, but even then only four out of every 10 respondents felt that they had full or a large amount of influence in their households. 54% said they have no influence in their city and 20% believed they have no influence in their workplace.

The poll was conducted between June 23 and June 27 this year among 1,600 respondents aged 18 and over. Of those, 64% said that they felt no responsibility for what happens in Russia – up from 41% in March 2014 and 32% in August 2000.

At the beginning of this month, another Levada poll found that 38% of Russians believe that the upcoming State Duma elections will be unlawful, with illegal practices such as ballot tampering or voter pressuring likely to take place.

Despite this, President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s United Russia party are clear favourites to win the September election, with the party’s 55% approval rating marking a massive 37-point lead over its nearest rival.

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