Page 26 - RusRPTNov18

Russians seem ready for change . A new report by the centre for Social Initiatives finds that, for the first time in several years, Russian exhibit a high willingness for change. Preferences for strong domestic authorities and state assistance have been supplanted by calls for justice. The centre for Social Initiatives did not find that Russians will organize themselves in opposition to power, so the results shouldn't be blown out of proportion. Nor is it news to say that the Crimea effect is over. But when 94% of respondents say they no longer rely on the state, alarm bells go off. Years of economic crisis are finally catching up to political life. Expect attempts to artificially inflate wages using oil revenues and investment projects as well as public messaging in Moscow from the Audit Chamber and MinEkonomiki.
● The study design included ten focus groups in Moscow, Vladimir, and Gus-Khrustalny as well as the analysis of 60 pro-Kremlin and opposition social media profiles.
● The report’s authors concluded that “fundamental changes” have occurred in public opinion provoked not from above, but from “interpersonal communication at the household level.”
● 94% of the focus group participants stated that “they no longer rely on the state.” Their primary demand is not for a strong government (7%), but for justice (80%).
● The study also found that people agree less with the Kremlin’s foreign policy “as the standard of living decreases." Support for Russia’s foreign policy is highest in Moscow, lower in Vladimir, and even lower in the “depressed single-industry town of Gus-Khrustalny.”
26 RUSSIA Country Report November 2018 www.intellinews.com