Lev Gudkov, director of Levada Center Institute of Public Opinion Studies
Photo: Grigoriy Sobchenko
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Tackling Sociological Problems Is More Urgent than Economic Growth
First time from 1998, the Russians expect sorting out social problems from the government rather than ensuring further economic growth, signaled the recent poll of Yuri Levada Analytical Center.
The recent sociological survey of Levada Center followed resignation of Mikhail Fradkov’s cabinet and covered 1,600 respondents; the purpose to attain was to find out what the nation mostly expected from the new government.
It turned out that top priorities have changed since 1998. The highlight of 1990s, the industrial growth in Russia, is of lesser importance today. No more than 44 percent of the recently polled backed up the growth in industry as an absolute priority, though the number was 49 percent in 2006 and 61 percent in 2001.
But “social direction of reforms implemented in the country” was chosen by the record 45 percent vs. just 27 percent in 1998 and 32 percent in 2003. This social concern of the Russians is easy to explain. Health and Social Development Minister Mikhail Zurabov had been the top anti-leader of government in the latest three years, signalled the poll of All-Russia’s Public Opinion Center (VTsIOM) held after Fradkov’s removal.
The share of negative comments on Zurabov's work surged to the record 60 percent in 2007. With the generally negative sentiment of the Russians to that minister, the attitude to previously unpopular Economic Development Minister German Gref, Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin and Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko has notably improved.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 25, 2007
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