One Third of Russians Think Country Has Changed for Better

About a third of Russians believe that the country has changed for the better over the last year, according to an opinion poll carried out by the Public Opinion foundation. 1,500 people took part in the poll. According to the results of the research, an equal number of Russians hold the opposite view. Communist supporters are most likely to hold the view that changes have been for the worse (53%), along with people over 50 (36%) and people without a full secondary education (38%).

Over a third of respondents said that the country's economic problems have not been solved. In particular, they mentioned the fall in manufacturing output and the collapse of the agricultural sector. In addition, 24% of those polled said that unemployment has increased over the last year, and the polarization of wealth in society is continuing. However, 17% of respondents believe that the standard of living has improved, 8% believe that the Russian economy is developing, and 6% think that stability and order have improved in the country.