#5
Opinion poll shows most Russians favour better
relations with USA
Interfax
Moscow, 1 November: A significant majority of Russian citizens, 69 per cent, take a rather positive attitude to the improvement of long-term cooperation between Russia and the USA, to the establishment of trusting and partner-like relations between them, and they are for moving beyond the era of confrontation.
The Public Opinion Foundation circulated this information on Thursday [1 November] after holding an all-Russian poll of 1,500 urban and rural residents on 27 October.
The poll revealed that the share of supporters of convergence between Russia and the USA is large in all social-demographic groups. This idea is favoured by 73 per cent of those supporting President Vladimir Putin, and 62 per cent of the electorate of Communist leader Gennadiy Zyuganov; 67 per cent of respondents under 35 years and 71 per cent of those over 50; 68 per cent of those having an incomplete secondary education and 74 per cent of those who graduated from a college or university.
The opinions of Russians about the presence of any positive changes in relations between the two countries of late are divided almost equally: 44 per cent said the Russian-US relationship had already begun improving, while 41 per cent expressed the view that it was not visibly changing.
Those respondents who believe that mutual understanding and cooperation between Russia and the USA are increasing were asked to explain why this is happening in their view.
The largest segment of the respondents (22 per cent) spoke of the need for Russia and the USA to unite efforts in combating international terrorism and recognize each other as allies in this fight.
Other reasons mentioned by the respondents derive from the aforesaid: 8 per cent believe that the convergence began because the USA underwent a terrorist attack, began to understand Russia's problems in a better way, and, as a result, began to treat it better.
A total of 2 per cent of those polled believe that the USA and Russia are "doomed" to cooperation as two major powers. Another 3 per cent take the view that the main reason for the convergence between the two states is that the Russian and US presidents "have found a common language".
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