I had a good laugh when I read this article, not because I’m abmivalent or cruel to Russian attitudes, but because the wording of the was so outrageous. I took a closer look at the questions they asked, which aren’t available in English. Check a couple of them out for yourself. The questions themselves are hilariously phrased.
Interestingly enough, these same questions have been asked for 13 years now. The Poll-taker, the Levada Center, is one of the largest and most respected poll-takers and market researchers in Russia.
What can you say about your mood in recent days?
- I’m in excellent humor
- I’m in an steady, normal humor
- I’m experiencing tension and irritation
- I’m experiencing fear and depression
- Decline to answer
In your opinion, which of the choices below most closely corresponds to the currently formed situation?
- Everything’s not so bad, and it’s possible to live
- Living’s hard, but tolerable
- Now, our disastrous state is impossible to take
- Decline to answer
You can see the poll here: http://www.levada.ru/press/2007020601.html
Here’s the original article, fed in an un-surprisingly propagandistic way through one of Russia’s state-owned news agencies, Interfax.
Russians Feeling Better About Their Lives – Poll
MOSCOW. Feb 6 (Interfax) – Most Russians are more
or less happy with the lives today, and according
to sociologists, their numbers seemed to have
increased as compared to last year.
Currently, the overwhelming majority of Russians
(80%) say that “life is hard but livable” and
that “things are not that bad.” Only one in six
(16%) says he cannot bear the “miserable situation” anymore.
Since the beginning of last year the number of
those who are satisfied with their lives has
grown by 8%, and that of those unhappy has
decreased by 5%, the Yury Levada Analytical
Center told Interfax on Tuesday after a January
poll that surveyed over two thousand adult Russians.
The number of Russians optimistic about their
life prospects grew from 28% to 32% last year,
according to sociological studies, while the
number of pessimists decreased from 48% to 43%.
The number of Russians who say they are in
“excellent humor” has also increased (from 9% to 13%).
As for the financial situation, the majority
(55%) of those surveyed, according to the Levada
Center, now say their financial situation is
quite good, 11% say it is “good and even very
good,” and 32% say it is bad. Last January these
indicators were 59%, 9% and 31% respectively.
The majority of respondents (60%) believe mass
protests of the population against low living
standards are now unlikely, which is still not
ruled out by one-fifth of the respondents (20%).
