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Russian Sociological Study Shows 66 Percent Believe Government Inefficient

MOSCOW. Jan 26 (Interfax) - A recent sociological study indicates that the trust Russians hold in the authorities is decreasing.

According to the findings of a poll held by the Yury Levada Analytic Center in January, which was published in Moscow on Wednesday, 66% of Russians evaluated the government's general work as inefficient, while only 28% gave a positive evaluation to the government's work.. In December 2004, the figures were 62% and 33%, respectively.

At the same time, 44% of the respondents said they are convinced that the government would be unable to change the situation in Russia for the better in the near future. Only 16% of the respondents said they are sure that the government will manage to achieve this, while 34% were unable to answer the question with a definite answer.

The poll was conducted among 1,600 Russians between January 21-24 in 128 cities and settlements in 64 regions of the country. The margin of error is 3%.

The poll indicates that 27% of Russians were satisfied with the work of Mikhail Fradkov as prime minister in January, while 59% said they did not approve of Fradkov's work. In December, the figures were 35% and 51%, respectively.

Most Russians (65%) approve of the work President Putin is doing, although his rating dropped by several points over the last month. A total of 32% said they do not approve of Putin's work.. In December 2004, the figures were 69% and 28%, respectively.

When asked to name the politicians they trust most, 32% named Putin, while 30% cited him in December 2004.

LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky came in second in the popularity rating for the first time in several months with 11% (8% in December), and Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu received 10%, the same figure he had in December.

Seven percent of the respondents said they trust Rodina faction leader Dmitry Rogozin most (5% in December) putting him in fourth place. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov also has the support of 7% of the respondents (6% in December).

The list of the ten most popular politicians in Russia also includes Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov with 5%, Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov with 5% (4% in December), St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko with 4% (3%), Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov with 4% (2%) and Kemerovo district governor Aman Tuleyev with 4% (5%).

Twenty-six percent of the respondents said they do not trust any Russian politicians. This figure was 28% in December 2004.

Last week, sociologists from the Public Opinion Foundation reported that Putin's approval rating had dropped.

According to the foundation's January poll, the number of Russians who evaluated Putin's work as good or excellent dropped from 37% in the fourth quarter of 2004 to 32% in January 2005.

Overall, counting those who called Putin's work satisfactory, 77% gave him a positive evaluation, the Public Opinion Foundation's poll says. The figure stood at 81% in the fourth quarter of 2004.