MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti, Daniil Nizamutdinov) - The majority of respondents in an opinion survey published Monday said their dachas and country land plots were an additional source of income rather than a place to rest and relax.

About half of Russians own land plots, according to the VTsIOM public opinion center. Twenty-four percent of them have summer cottages, 13% have plots of land without a house, and 11% have country houses built for living year round.

The survey showed that Russians use their countryside property differently. Twelve percent of those with only land plots see them as a place for rest, whereas 79% grow vegetables and fruit on the land to help them survive winter. Thirty-five percent of respondents with country houses go there for rest and 62% of them go to work. A total of 41% of respondents who own summer cottages use them for leisure, whereas 56% said having a dacha meant they had to work there.

However, for the majority of respondents (72%) from Moscow and St. Petersburg, dachas are, above all, a place where they spend their free time.

VTsIOM surveyed 1,579 people in 153 towns across Russia September 3-4. The margin of error did not exceed 3.4%.