Fewer Russians are willing to take to the streets against government plans to raise the retirement age, according to an independent Levada Center poll.
A majority of Russian respondents said they were willing to join protests against the unpopular reform in August, before President Vladimir Putin introduced several concessions to quell public anger. State Duma lawmakers are expected to pass the watered-down bill that gradually raises the retirement age starting in 2019 later on Thursday.
This month, Levada’s results showed a significant drop in the respondents who said they were willing to join protests against the pension reform — from 53 percent last month to 35 percent.
Meanwhile, 86.5 percent of respondents said they had a “sharply” or “mostly” negative view of the retirement age hike.
“There is discontent, but there is also the sense that everything’s already been done,” the Vedomosti daily quoted Levada sociologist Denis Volkov as saying Thursday. “They’ve resigned themselves to it but didn’t accept it.”
More than one-third of Levada’s respondents viewed Putin negatively after his televised Aug. 29 address offering concessions, and 7 percent viewed him positively.
Around two out of five respondents said they believed Putin’s proposed amendments to the draft bill did not change the pension reform in any way.
Volkov said the retirement age hike became “slightly more acceptable” after the president offered to lower the retirement age increase for women from 63 to 60 in his address.
Levada conducted the poll among 1,600 respondents in 52 Russian regions between Sept. 20 and Sept. 26.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
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 every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
