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Volgo-Vyatsky
- Voters in Volgo-Vyatsky are also somewhat less interested than average in politics and government (28%). Satisfaction levels are average as well with 9% satisfied and 85% dissatisfied with the situation in the country. They are more likely than average to mention inflation (67%), standard of living (56%), and chaos (36%) as reasons for dissatisfaction. At the same time they are less likely to mention crime (45%), and Chechnya (26%).
- Concerns here include the economy (20%), quality of life (18%), political leaders (9%), high prices (9%), and unemployment (8%).
- Views on the political situation are unremarkable as 16% say that it will improve and 35% that it will get worse. On the economy, 19% say it will improve and 43% that it will worsen.
- These voters are somewhat more likely than the average to say the country should return to a system where the state controls much of the economy (56%) while 15% say that economic reforms should continue.
- Voters here are more likely than any other regions to that Russia is a Democracy (57%) and 35% say it is not.
- They lean toward decentralization of political power. Just 30% say power in the country should be centralized and 38% say it should be decentralized.
- As in most areas, a plurality of voters in this region (29%) say that Russia should serve as its own model for development. Still, 13% say the United States would serve as the best model for development and 8% say Germany and 7% Sweden.
- 27% say Russia would benefit from an orientation toward the West, 9% say the East, 21% say both, and 31% neither.
- Voters here are mainly reliant on media organizations or personalities (55%) for information when making voting decisions. 88% say National Channel 1 is useful and 76% call Channel 2 useful. Fewer than average (47%) say that local television programs are worthwhile. They give very high marks to discussions with friends and family (76%). 71% say that newspapers are useful sources. The top two sources are National Channel 1 (44%) and discussions with friends and family (13%).
- Radio may be an important vehicle here as 57% say local radio programs are useful and 40% use other radio programs. Another 46% say that magazine articles are useful, 30% find posters helpful, and 44% say that meetings with candidates are useful (+9%).
Institutions and Officials
- A 54% majority say that official corruption is very common and 33% fairly common. Only 5% say corruption is rare. Also, 60% say that elected officials in Moscow are only interested in helping themselves and 5% say they are interested in improving our lives. A 62% majority say their elected officials are not capable of making any improvement in their circumstances and 34% say they can make a difference.
- President Yeltsin's job approval in this region is above average at 27% while 61% disapprove. 22% approve of the State Duma's performance and 53% disapprove. 20% approve of the Federation Council and 38% disapprove.
Attitudes Toward the Electoral System
- Perceptions about fraud are slightly above average as 60% believe there was at least some fraud in 1993 (+4%) and 52% say there will be fraud in the 1995 elections (+4%).
- Those who believe fraud will occur give potential sources the following distribution:
18%
|
Central Election Commission
|
12%
|
Executive Branch
|
4%
|
Other central authorities
|
8%
|
Local election offices
|
7%
|
Local executive authorities
|
10%
|
Political parties
|
6%
|
Local candidate organizations
|
27%
|
All of these
|
- Improper voting practices have the following scores. 2% witnessed financial incentives being offered to voters. 5% saw poll watchers and 6% saw local/election officials try to influence votes, and 4% say they felt their ballot wouldn't be kept secret. Group voting, was at 13%.
- Knowledge about the Central Election Commission is also low in this region as only 5% have read or heard a fair amount or more and 54% have heard nothing at all (+3%).
- Support for the computerization of elections is above average as 78% are in favor (58% quite a lot) and only 10% are opposed.
- 58% of voters in this region oppose allowing candidates for the State Duma, the Federation Council (58%) and the Presidency (59%) to receive private contributions. A 71% majority say that a ceiling should be established for such contributions. 67% support a minimum voting threshold for validating elections.
- 27% would like to increase the number of Duma representatives who are elected from party lists, 8% want more from single mandate constituencies, 28% would like the system to stay the same and 35% don't know.
- A 59% majority say the Federation Council should be directly elected, 14% call for indirect elections, and 7% think members should be appointed by the President. 20% don't know.
Voting Patterns
- Projected turnout for the Duma elections in Volgo-Vyatsky is average. Overall, 73% say they will vote and 21% will not. The percentage of those saying they are certain to vote is 37%.
- Planned turnout for the presidential elections is slightly below average at 73%. Only 38% say they definitely will vote as compared with the national average of 46%. Among young voters, just 25% are likely to go to the polls.
- Vote efficacy in the region is a little lower than average as 52% believe that by voting, people can actually change something in the life of our country and 44% say this is not possible.
- The following table rank orders the results of the Presidential ballot test in the region and shows a three-way tie for first. A low number of voters are undecided.
Yavlinsky
|
11%
|
Chernomyrdin
|
11%
|
Yeltsin
|
11%
|
Lebed
|
9%
|
Solzhenitsyn
|
9%
|
Rutskoi
|
6%
|
Zyuganov
|
5%
|
Staravoitova
|
5%
|
Gaidar
|
5%
|
Zhirinovsky
|
4%
|
Kozyrev
|
3%
|
Shakhrai
|
2%
|
Shumeiko
|
1%
|
Don't Know
|
19%
|
Political Parties
- 69% say that political parties are necessary to Russian democracy and 16% say they are not necessary. 42% strongly believe that parties are necessary.
A 43% plurality say that several parties is an ideal situation while 17% say that one party is the ideal.
An above-average 41% feel there are clear differences between the parties and 40% say there are not. Just 5% say they are members of a party. 25% are more likely to vote for a candidate who is affiliated with a political party, 34% are more likely to vote for an unaffiliated candidate (+7%), and 31% say it makes no difference.
60% say that political parties speak to the issues that concern the Russian electorate.
- In the Duma ballot, the results are as follows:
Communist Party
|
14%
|
Women of Russia
|
13%
|
Yabloko
|
8%
|
Russia's Democratic Choice
|
6%
|
LDPR
|
4%
|
Democratic Party of Russia
|
4%
|
Agrarian Party
|
2%
|
Our Home Russia
|
2%
|
Party of Economic Freedom
|
1%
|
Party of Unity and Accord
|
1%
|
Stable Russia
|
1%
|
None
|
25%
|
Don't Know
|
16%
|
Voter Education
* Only 49% say they received enough information from election officials so that they understood the election process;
* Only 2% have a great deal of information about the Democratic process, 14% have a fair amount, 57% have not very much, and 22% have none at all.
* 74% agree (53% strongly) that they don't have enough information with regard to their rights with regard to the authorities.
* 33% say they received enough information about the candidates or parties to make a good choice in the 1993 Parliamentary elections and 52% did not (8% above the national average).
* 17% are very or somewhat familiar with their voting rights.
* 21% didn't have enough information on how to check the voter registry and 24% had too little information on means of alternative voting.
* Misunderstandings about voting rights include the following: 36% believe a family member can vote on your behalf by presenting your passport; 40% say that those who don't currently reside in Russia may not vote, and 49% think those serving time in prison may vote.
* 25% say that those who don't speak Russian may not vote.
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