Russians like Putin for his energy and strong character- poll
Interfax
Moscow, 5 October: The number of positive remarks by Russians about President Vladimir Putin over the eight years he has been in power has considerably increased while the number of negative remarks has gone down or stayed the same, the VTsIOM public opinion research centre has said on the basis of its research.
According to sociologists, as before, Putin's energetic, decisive and strong character remains his most attractive feature for Russians: the number of people who believe so has gone up from 43 per cent to 56 per cent since September 1999 to the present day.
About 42-43 per cent of respondents are attracted by the fact that Putin is an experienced politician, as well as by the fact that he has ensured stability in the country (in 1999 only 8-9 per cent attributed these qualities to Putin).
About 36-39 per cent of respondents draw attention to the fact that Putin has been able to restore order in the country, to his leadership qualities, deserved respect among fellow countrymen and political vision (6-23 per cent).
According to a sociological research conducted in 1999, 23 per cent of respondents found it difficult to name Putin's positive qualities while in 2007 there were only 7 per cent of such respondents. In 1999, 63 per cent could not name any negative quality in Putin while in 2007 the figure is 69 per cent.
Assessing Putin as a politician and a human being in a poll conducted this September, most Russians described him as energetic and full of initiative (91 per cent), broad-minded (88 per cent), generating ideas (64 per cent), competent (88 per cent), a man of principle (60 per cent), decisive (86 per cent), a modern leader (75 per cent), a man who shows concern for his country's good (79 per cent) and at the same time a good-natured and friendly person (83 per cent), honest and decent (72 per cent), approachable (65 per cent) and sincere (60 per cent).
Three quarters of respondents believe that they know enough about Putin. If there is anything citizens want to learn more about, it is the president's plans for the future (7 per cent) and his private life and family (4 per cent).
The initiative opinion poll was carried out by VTsIOM on 29-30 September 2007. A total of 1,600 people were polled in 153 population centres in 46 regions, territories and republics of Russia. A statistical error margin does not exceed 3.4 per cent.