Translated material
With a shield or in poverty
Older Russians hate the rich, young ones respect them
The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) decided to find out how Russians feel about people who have become rich or poor over the past 15 years; what qualities are considered inherent to the rich and the poor. And finally, from the point of view of Russians, is it possible to overcome poverty?Our society is still not indifferent to the rich: for half of Russians (51%) they evoke various emotions, both positive (25%) and negative (26%). The most characteristic feelings are suspicion and hostility (19%), as well as respect (12%) and interest (10%). If among those over 60 years old the rich are more likely to cause suspicion and hostility (31%), then among young people 18-24 years old they are more likely to respect (19%) and interest (16%). 44% of respondents regard the rich as neutral, no better or worse than everyone else, while 67% regard the poor. 11% of respondents feel positive emotions towards the poor, 5% feel negative emotions.
A third of respondents (31-32%) believe that their qualities are not related to the material status of people. According to others, the rich are distinguished by greed (32% of respondents), initiative and energy (30%), as well as disrespect for the law (26%), dishonesty (21%), indifference to the fate of their country (19%), callousness ( 18%), but at the same time education (21%) and professionalism (19%).
The poor, according to Russians, are characterized primarily by kindness (31%), law-abidingness (28%), conscientiousness (19%), as well as laziness (22%), passivity, inertia (21%), low level of education (16%) . The only quality that is equally characteristic of both rich and poor is hard work (17 and 15%).
Poverty is a consequence of an unjust social system, believes the vast majority of Russians (70%). Moreover, every fifth person believes that the poor themselves are to blame for their situation: from 14% in the group of those who consider themselves poorly financially secure to 27% in the group of well-to-do people.
Poverty can be overcome if the state’s social policy is properly structured, notes more than half of the respondents (58%); and a third (37%) consider the problem unsolvable in principle. Among the financially disadvantaged respondents, there are twice as many optimists as pessimists (60 and 32%), while among the financially well-off respondents there are approximately equal numbers (47 and 48%).
In our society, the shares of those who would not want their children to compromise moral principles, even if this threatens them with poverty (43%) and those who are ready to “turn a blind eye” to the unsightly aspects of enriching their own children (39%) are almost equal. . Respondents under 45 years of age, as a rule, choose wealth in this alternative; after 45, they choose moral principles. The differences in the opinions of the “extreme” age groups are especially noticeable: 54% versus 28% would prefer wealth over morality among young people aged 18-24, and 21% versus 59% in the “60+” group.
The all-Russian poll by VTsIOM was conducted on December 2-3, 2006. 1,600 people were surveyed in 153 settlements in 46 regions, territories and republics of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.