About a Third of Russians Favor Khodorkovsky’s Early Release – Polls Show
Moscow, 25 October 2012 – The results of the October national survey of the Russian population, conducted by Russian Levada Centre, refute the idea that the Russians have forgotten about Khodorkovsky. Almost a third of the respondents, with various degrees of interest, are keeping an eye on his fate today (32%).
One out of every three respondents and more than half of the Muscovites are in favor of Khodorkovsky’s early release, while 7% of the Russians are definitely against it.
Only 3.5% of Russians personally feel that they have benefited from the fact that the authorities took away Yukos from its private owners. 72% haven’t benefited in any way. Approximately 5% are confident that the bankruptcy and the sale of Yukos benefited the population as a whole. 68% believe that this was beneficial only to the businessmen who are close to the government and the bureaucrats themselves.
Over the last year there was a catastrophic decline in the authority of the Russian court. 38% (compared to 27% in October 2011) have argued that the trial of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev was not independent and was under pressure from the authorities. Only 17% of the population believe that the court was definitely or probably independent.
As for Khodorkovsky, who is in his tenth year of custody, the Russians began to treat him better. About 27% have sympathy, respect and other positive emotions for him, 10% – dislike or irritated, and 47% are neutral.
Only 14% believe that Russia, in its current state, is better off with people like Khodorkovsky to be imprisoned. 42% of the Russians (59% of the Muscovites) believe that it would be better if they worked for the good of the country in business or politics.
31% of the Russians believe that after his release Khodorkovsky will play a significant political role in Russia. The same percentage of the population is aware of the fact that Khodorkovsky constantly writes articles and gives interviews with 9% either having read his articles or know about them from the word of mouth.
The survey was conducted by “Levada Centre” on a representative sample of the population of Russia, 19-22 October 2012. 1601 persons have been interviewed aged 18 years and older.
