Putin and Medvedev hold high ratings despite growing public concerns

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev do not lose their popularity in Russia in spite of the fact that the majority of Russians say that they are dissatisfied with the way the government executes the tasks, which the head of state outlines every year in his address to the nation.

Photo: Putin and Medvedev hold high ratings despite growing public concerns

An opinion poll conducted by Russia’s Levada Center showed that only seven percent of Russians believe that the government handles the key economic goals well. The number of those who described the actions of the government as moderate increased slightly in a month from 51 to 53 percent. The negative public attitude to the government has increased considerably though - from 27 percent in October to 33 percent in November.

About 61 percent of the polled claimed that the government was unable to handle the growth of prices when the living standard of the population was worsening. Thirty-eight percent said that the executive power was not working on the social protection of the people, whereas 29 percent said that the government was unable to do anything about the unemployment, and 26 percent believe that the government could not govern the national economy properly under the conditions of the crisis and the production setback.

The ratings of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin are still high. As a rule, the majority of Russians do not associate their employment or salary problems with the supreme level of power. On the other hand, the crisis has so far affected the well-to-do layers of the population. The majority of Russians are still simply concerned about their future. The crisis may touch upon the real sector of economy in about three months only, specialists say.