A Hero of Our Time

Nov 28 2007

RBTH

As we publish the results of this VTsIOM (All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre) opinion poll, we hope it will help our readers to better understand "those enigmatic Russians" and the changes underway in Russia. For all reforms, as the saying goes, start in the heart and soul before they spread to politics and the economy.

Which of the following characteristics fits your image of a respected and worthy person today? (UP TO FIVE RESP ONSES )

	1997	2007
	%	%
Decent, living according to his conscience	53	57
A good family man	46	45
Tolerant to other people	40	38
A professional with a high level of proficiency	34	37
Law-abiding, respecting and living by the laws	14	34
Good listener, sympathetic, helping other people	36	26
Enterprising, capable of organizing his life	24	26
Educated, well-bred	27	25
Patriotic, placing the interests of the homeland before his own	15	24
Having convictions, defending his citizenship	15	20
Believing in God and trying to live by His commandments	11	16
Well-off, with good income	11	15
A modest laborer, not striving for glory and honor	22	9
Gifted, talented	14	9
Possessing power, connection, influence in society	8	8

SOURCE: www.wciom.ru

The most important change of the past ten years is a new respect for the law. More frequent references are made to patriotism, civic responsibility, piety and following the Commandments.

Unfortunately, held in smaller respect today are kindness and compassion, modesty and hard work, and talent.

Professionalism today matters more to men than to women (41-34%), and similarly the spirit of enterprise (29-24%), and a firm civil stand (22-18%). Women, on the other hand, have greater appreciation for integrity (60-54%), domestic virtues (50-40%), tolerance (41-35%) and piety (21-11%).

The elderly value life according to the Commandments (24% of 60 years of age and older, versus 10% in the 18-24 age group), just as life in accord with one's conscience and not in pursuit of pleasure and financial gains (72-45%), and modesty and hard work (12-6%).

The higher the respondent's education the greater importance he attaches to proficiency (22% for persons with unfinished secondary education versus 44% for complete and incomplete higher education), culture and education (18-29%), the spirit of enterprise (14-28%), firm convictions (10-22%), and reckoning with others' opinions (33-40%). There is an inverse relationship with kindness (36-21%) and modesty and industry (13-7%). The contrast is especially striking with integrity (67% against 55-57%).

Well-to-do respondents attach greater importance than low-income groups to the spirit of enterprise (35-17%), proficiency (43-31%), high incomes (18-10%), talent (13-7%), and social contacts and influence (12-6%). The situation is reverse with integrity (48-61%), kindness (20-34%), piety (10-21%) and hard work (5-16%).

civil society Opinion