25.01.09

The number of Russians hopeful of the government ability to improve the economic situation in the near future is on decline amid the global slowdown, Levada Center told Interfax on Thursday.

The poll was held in 128 towns and cities in 46 regions on January 16-19.

The number of believers dropped to 26% in January as against 31% in November, 36% in August and 44% in July.

Thirty-two percent said that the government would be unable to improve the economic situation soon (the rate was 27% in July and 34% in November). Another 36% percent have mixed feelings - the government may succeed or fail.

Nevertheless, 58% of Russians still approve of the government work, and almost 40% do not.

The rating of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin remains high. Three-quarters of the respondents said they were satisfied with Medvedev's work and 42% voiced confidence in him. The rating is 83% and 56% correspondingly for Putin.

Other top ten Russian politicians enjoying the biggest confidence of citizens include Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu (13%), Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky (10%), Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov (9%), Vice-Premier Sergei Ivanov (7%), Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov (6%), Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (6%), State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov (5%) and St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko (4%).

Fifteen percent of the respondents said they did not trust any Russian politician.

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Source: Interfax