You can’t measure it with a common glass

Russians believe that sobriety and moonshine will save you from surrogate poisoning

At the height of the autumn flurry of reports of alcohol poisoning, the Public Opinion Foundation tried to find out the true scale of this phenomenon, which, judging by reports from news agencies, has now reached literally every populated area in the country. According to Pyotr Bavin, a senior specialist in the analytical department of the FOM, the survey did not set out to identify trends in alcoholism in the country’s population, but was rather of a situational nature. “We were interested in how different groups of the population react to the problem of alcohol poisoning,” he explained to Vremya Novostey. “And the problem really turned out to be extremely urgent - half the country is afraid of getting poisoned.”

Of the one and a half thousand surveyed residents of 100 settlements in 44 regions, territories and regions of the country, 46% said they were afraid of falling victim to low-quality alcohol. It is interesting that the majority are young people (52%) and mainly residents of megalopolises and large cities (53-54%). Moscow, however, stands somewhat apart - here almost 60% of respondents said that they were not afraid of alcohol poisoning. Perhaps because residents of the capital prefer more noble drinks than provincials. “Moscow lags far behind other cities in terms of vodka and beer consumption, but is ahead of them in wine consumption,” explained Mr. Bavin. 41% of Muscovites surveyed prefer wine, while only 25% named beer as their preferred drink, and 36% said vodka. In other large cities the situation is the opposite. In villages, only 22% drink wine, and vodka and beer, which share first place in the ranking of consumption of strong drinks, are complemented by moonshine, which 10% of the surveyed villagers indulge in.

At the same time, sociologists note that income and the frequency of drinking alcohol are interconnected (those who are intoxicated every day among Russians with monthly incomes above 4 thousand rubles are half as many as among those below the poverty line), but on alarm the population does not have any impact on their health. “Those who prefer elite drinks, such as cognac, whiskey, rum, brandy, are a little less afraid than others,” said Peter Bavin. In general, the consumption of intoxicating drinks due to the fear of poisoning, according to the sociologist, today “does not allow many people to relax.”

And most of all, public opinion researchers were convinced of the alarmism of Russians by the fact that the open question, which did not offer any answer options: “In your opinion, what should be done, how can you avoid the risk of poisoning with low-quality alcohol?” - 90% of respondents answered with clearly formulated proposals. According to the experience of sociologists, such bursts of activity among respondents are extremely rare.

The majority (70%) of respondents, according to an FOM specialist, assume that everyone should solve the problem of poisoning with alcohol substitutes themselves. In particular, it was suggested to stop drinking or drink less (28% of judgments). The second most popular answer (22%) in this category of citizens is “buy alcohol only in reliable places.” Judging by the responses, branded and licensed stores, supermarkets and well-known people enjoy the trust of alcohol buyers, but “under the counter” alcohol is suspicious. For 7% of respondents, the price of alcohol is a guarantee of its quality, and for 4% of respondents, the most reliable means of ensuring safety is the production of home-made drinks, including moonshine.

However, sociologists also consider it significant that 20% of respondents would like to shift responsibility for the risk of their alcohol poisoning to the state. And they propose to the authorities such measures as state control (11%), a state monopoly on alcohol (4%), strengthening the fight against illegal production of alcohol (3%) and even the introduction of prohibition (1%).

The FOM notes that today there is a high “level of caution” in society, and Russians are “well-informed optimists.” Moreover, sociologists do not exclude the possibility that this awareness was the result of a media campaign. “We did not ask respondents about their own experience,” explained Pyotr Bavin, “however, Russians willingly shared their social experience and the facts of poisoning known to them. Of course, behind such sentiments there is also a trail of information, people are watching the news.”

It is noteworthy, however, that our compatriots have not yet started drinking less because of this. Compared to 2002 and 2004, when FOM made similar sociological surveys, the fluctuations are insignificant; the decline or increase in alcohol consumption in such cases, as a rule, depends not on trends in the country, but on the situation in which the drinker finds himself. In general, the portrait of the average Russian in the reflection of a bottle of alcohol has not changed. Almost 3 million adults in the country drink every day. These are people who prefer vodka and beer, residents, as a rule, of large cities and partly trust Vladimir Putin.

Yulia KHOMCHENKO