06.02.09

Opinion polls show that Russian citizens tend to criticize the government for being incapable of countering inflation and falling real incomes effectively. Common complaints also include the views that the government can't handle Russia's economic problems, counter unemployment, or deliver social security.

In the latest opinion poll results from the Yuri Levada Analytical Center, only 10% of respondents say they see no flaws in the federal government's performance. Others tend to criticize the government for being incapable of countering inflation and falling real incomes effectively. Common complaints also include the views that the government can't handle Russia's economic problems, counter unemployment, or deliver social security.

The Levada Center poll shows 41% of respondents saying that the government can't handle rising prices and falling real incomes. This is the top concern among Russian citizens at present. Then there are 27% of respondents saying that the government is unable to solve Russia's economic problems; 27% saying that the government is unable to provide jobs; and 26% who want the Cabinet to pay more attention to social security.

Also at the top of the list are opinions such as "the government is corrupt, acting primarily in its own interests" (18%) and "the government lacks a well-considered action plan" (17%). Other problems are much lower on the list, scoring only a few percentage points. These include ineffective measures to counter crime, and the problem of public safety, and the rise in inter-ethnic tension. Always present on the Levada Center's annual list, and always with a low score, is the conspiracy theory: "the government is acting in the interests of foreign capital."

Experts say they aren't surprised to see that rising prices top the list of people's concerns. The inflation rate for 2008 ended up being 13.3%, and the public's expectations are pessimistic. And although prices aren't rising as fast as they were a year ago, people are preparing for the worst. Moreover, their wallets are being drained by rises in utilities rates and public transport prices.

Lilia Ovcharova, deputy director of the Independent Institute of Social Policy, told us that citizens also link the fate of the ever-falling ruble to galloping inflation: "Imports make up 60% of our country's consumer market - so all citizens understand that the exchange rate situation has a direct impact on inflation, which will continue to eat up a significant proportion of their incomes."

However, says Ovcharova, rising consumer prices will soon be overshadowed by a more important problem for our citizens: unemployment. Ovcharova says: "Unless the government can take some effective anti-crisis measures, unemployment will be a far more immediate problem for Russian citizens than inflation, as soon as May this year."

Indeed, the jobs situation is becoming more acute with every passing day. According to the Health and Social Development Ministry, the number of officially registered unemployed in Russia grew by 95,000 in the week of January 21-28 alone, reaching 1.642 million. Deputy Health Minister Maxim Topilin says that at this rate, the Ministry will need to revise its 2009 forecast as early as the end of March. At this stage, the Ministry's forecast is 2.2 million officially unemployed in 2009 - and the total number of jobless, including unregistered people, could rise to 7 million.

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Source: Novye Izvestia