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Cheers, Ken Hanly
March 15, 2001
Nearly four fifths of Russians are nostalgic about Soviet Union
According to a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation shortly
before the 10th anniversary of a referendum on the preservation of the
Soviet Union, the overwhelming majority of Russians regret its subsequent
collapse.
The number of people nostalgic about the Soviet Union has increased with
the passage of time. In 1992 69% of the Russians confessed they regretted
the break-up of the USSR. Since then the figure has risen by 10%. At the
same time the number of people who do not regret the collapse of the Soviet
Union has dropped from 32 to 15 percent. The study shows that 72% of
respondents would vote for the reunification of former Soviet republics if
a referendum on reunification were held today. 15% would vote against.
On the other hands, most of the respondents in the latest poll are aware of
the fact that it is impossible to restore the Soviet Union (58%). 30% are
still hopeful that this is possible, with Communist sympathizers accounting
for 49% of this category. 37% of them are people will inadequate schooling
and 36% are people older than 59 years.
Although 10 years ago most Russians voted for the preservation of the
Soviet Union as a single state, 20% of the respondents today do not
remember how they voted in the referendum. More than that, 40% do not
remember its outcome.
63% of those polled feel the break-up of the Soviet Union ten years ago
could have been averted. Communist sympathizers (82%) and people older than
50 years hold stronger views on the subject than other people sharing this
view.
23% of the respondents are positive that the Union's collapse could not
have been averted. Most of them are people with a higher education (34%)
and people under 35 years of age (32%).
The survey also demonstrates that 71% of Russians believe that, basically,
Russia fares worse as the result of the Soviet Union's collapse. 15% do not
share this view. Most of the Russians who regard the break-up of the Soviet
Union as a positive development are young people (23%) and people with a
higher education (24%). The Foundation's sociologists note that 76% of the
respondents were willing to talk about the negative aspects of the break-up
whereas only a total of 18% talked about positive implications.
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