Page 19 - RPTRusFeb17

proportion of those who said they have only enough money for food was 36% in February 2017 against 21% in February 2014, according to the poll, but those who can only afford food and clothing has shrunk to 38% from 58%.
Despite the grinding crisis the propensity to protest in Russia is at a decade and a half low, a nd continues to fall slowly In December, the independent pollster the Levada Center found that only 12% of respondents said protests with political demands are possible and if they were to happen only 9% said they would participate in them. Russians are more concerned with economic issues and 15% said protest with economic demands are possible, of which 12% said they would participate in those protests. These numbers are way down on the historical peaks of 48% who thought economic protests were possible in September 1998, the month after Russia’s financial crisis erupted, when 33% said they would participate if the protests happened.
Eight out of ten Russians see China as a strategic partner, according to the state owned pollster, the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM). In the view of the majority of Russians, China is a strategic partner (50%) and a friendly state (27%). In the minority are those who see China as an economic or political opponent (10%), or enemy (5%), VTsIOM found in a recent poll. In the next decade China will be an ally of Russia (37%), or its closest partner (38%), according to respondents. Only 14% believe that China will
19 RUSSIA Country Report February 2017 www.intellinews.com