TASS, 2/22/23

MOSCOW, February 22. /TASS/. Pollsters have noted significant growth in all the main indicators characterizing Russians’ attitudes toward President Vladimir Putin and other institutions of power over the past year, head of the political analysis division of the Russian Public Opinion Research Center Mikhail Mamonov said.

“The effect of consolidation around the leader remains. Over the past year, we have recorded a significant increase in all the main indicators of attitudes toward the president. First of all, this is the trust indicator: it stood at 78% by the end of 2022, which is 13 percentage points higher compared to 2021 (65%) – that’s a lot, an insane amount,” Mamonov said on Wednesday during a roundtable discussion at the Expert Institute for Social Research, commenting on the poll results conducted over the year among 1,600 adults aged 18 and over.

According to his information, the increase in the annual average of the president’s approval in 2022 was 15 percentage points (75% vs. 60% in 2021). “The biggest dynamic was seen in the legitimacy indicator, which we assess through the attitude towards the actions in whose interests the government works, the majority or the minority. About 73% of respondents now say that the president acts in the interests of the majority, which is a 20-point increase (53% in 2021). This is a lot,” Mamonov said.

According to him, the polls also show an increase in the legitimacy of all government bodies. “This applies to the federal authorities, the government, the State Duma, the Federation Council, and regional authorities. The level of support and approval of the activities of these institutions has increased significantly. This allows us to talk about the growth of stability of the system, about the strengthening of its legitimacy as a whole,” Mamonov stressed.

According to him, 54% of respondents say that “the country’s top leaders have a long-term development strategy.” Mamonov points out that the polls were conducted before President Putin’s State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly, so “this number will increase now, since the public has heard the answers to some of the questions it has been interested in.”