“Vedomosti”: "Political consensus and the love of a woman"
The prevalence of women, especially of old age, is more pronounced in villages than cities. These are the answers of those who were the worst pessimists until recently. Now their views have changed. This applies to women's attitudes in the country in general. Women panic about anarchy much less often than men (19%), but they are talking about "things being put right" much more often (46% versus 37%). Fewer women than men are prone to discussing the destinies of democracy and the authoritarian regime, but the majority of men who join this discussion speak about the regime, whereas a small majority of women talk about democracy. More women than men believe that democracy is not merely "economic prosperity," as the majority believes, but primarily "freedom of speech, the press, and religion."
The survey has shown that Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin enjoy the biggest support. Apparently, they are being credited for "putting things in order." The former president was called the man of the year by 39% of women and 34% of men, while the current president was given the same title by 32% of women and 26% of men. Medvedev's performance as President was approved by 74% of men and 81% of women. Putin's performance as Prime Minister was approved by 79% of men and 87% of women. It is not surprising that they received the biggest approval in the countryside. Some 85% of people there approve of Medvedev's activities, and 88% of Putin's. These are the results of the crisis year of 2009.
The author heads the Department of Social and Cultural Studies of the Levada Centre.
Alexei Levinson
