Support The Moscow Times!

Russians’ Trust in Putin Hits 14-Year Low – State Poll

The latest poll results come as Russian authorities — and Putin in particular — have faced criticism for their response to the coronavirus pandemic. Valery Sharifulin / TASS

Russians’ trust in President Vladimir Putin has fallen to a 14-year low, the state-funded VTsIOM polling agency said Monday. 

The latest poll results come as Russian authorities — and Putin in particular — have faced criticism for their response to the coronavirus pandemic, which many see as providing insufficient support to businesses and workers. Before the coronavirus hit Russia, Putin had been pursuing a series of constitutional amendments that would allow him to stay president until 2036.

Just 28.3% of Russians surveyed by VTsIOM in March named Putin when asked to name a politician whom they trust, the lowest percentage since the pollster began asking the question in January 2006.

Valery Fyodorov, the head of VTsIOM, told Forbes Russia that respondents are more likely to say they trust Putin if asked the question in multiple-choice format rather than the “open-ended” format that VTsIOM normally uses.

For example, when asked to give a yes-or-no answer to whether or not they trust Putin in April, 69.8% of respondents said yes, he said.

“The open-ended question is more about memory and information activity than about trust, unfortunately,” Fyodorov said. “In general, I would stop asking this question at all, but if I stop asking it, they will start suspecting me of some terrible things.”

In its May 2019 survey, VTsIOM said that trust in Putin had reached a 13-year low of 31.7%. Following criticism from the Kremlin, VTsIOM said it would change its polling methodology, and its revised results showed trust in Putin skyrocket to 72.3%.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more