Nearly 80 percent of Russians think steps taken by regional authorities to combat the effects of the crisis are ineffective or are unaware of any measures at all, according to a survey published Monday by state pollster VTsIOM.

The percentage of Russians who thought that their local governments were not doing anything to fight the crisis was 37 percent, while 39 percent said they did not know what measures local authorities were taking to improve their economic situation.

Only 4 percent believed that regional authorities were successfully fighting unemployment by preventing mass layoffs and providing occupational training for the jobless, the survey showed.

Meanwhile, only one in 10 Russians, according to the research, says the measures taken by local administrations were effective. When asked what measures they thought that authorities should take, 14 percent said combating unemployment was the most important, while 7 percent suggested that supporting industry should be a top priority. Sixty percent of those surveyed did not know what the authorities should do.  

The poll of 1,600 people across the country had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.