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Old Saint Basil's Cathedral in MoscowJohnson's Russia List title and scenes of Saint Petersburg
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#1 - JRL 2008-187 - JRL Home
Only 1% of Russians never give up seats on metro, bus - poll

MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Just one in a hundred Russians would not give up their seats on public transport to the elderly, invalids and others in need of a place to rest their weary legs, an opinion poll reveals.

The poll of 1,800 Russians over the age of 18 was carried out September 9-10 by the SuperJob employment website, which pointed out that a "large number" of the 1% said they preferred not to sit on public transport to avoid the dilemma of whether or not to give up their seats.

In other poll results, 29% said they give up their seats of their own accord "depending on their mood and the situation," while 10% said they do so "when asked."

However, the poll also reported that less than half the population - 46% - always give up their seats to the needy.

"The youth of today, as a rule, don't give up their seats - not to the elderly, nor to passengers with children," one pensioner commented. "I am afraid for their future. Maybe they suffer from chronic exhaustion and it's painful for them to stand up?"

"Parents should teach their children from an early age to do this, and maybe the world will change," the unnamed senior citizen said.

On the issue of whether to give up seats to pregnant women, another respondent said: "I only give up my seat to them when they ask me. These days so many women have such massive stomachs that its hard to tell if they are pregnant or they just have large figures."