Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Sign-In
|
Sign-Up
|
Contact Us
|
Bookmark
Home
News
Articles
Forum
Search
Directory
Blog
Accounts
Business
|
Politics
|
Technology
|
Entertainment
|
Sport
|
Other
|
All Published News
|
"Democracy" is one of the most popular words of the present-day political lexicon
The results of a public opinion poll shows that ordinary Russians interpret the meaning of the word in a number of different ways. Respondents were supposed to answer a direct question: "What is your understanding of the word 'democracy', and what this word means in your opinion?". The poll results show that the people attribute a few somewhat opposing concepts to the word. In the meantime, 33% of the respondents failed to provide any answer to the question. As a rule, the respondents point to positive ideas associated with the word "democracy." 35% of the polled believe that the concept means the freedom of speech, human rights, equality, political freedoms. As a whole, their idea of democracy implies the opportunity "to be a free individual." 10% of our compatriots understand democracy as government by the people, "power by their elected agents under a free electoral system." 6% interpret the concept as "the rule of law, order, and discipline." Some of the respondents provide Soviet-era descriptions of democracy e.g. the authorities looking after the common people (3%), and total equality for all (2%). Meanwhile, democracy is painted grim and black by a significant portion (14%) of the respondents. In some cases the people reject the concept of democracy as "one of the most flawed and corrupt forms of government". Other people detest social and political changes Russia has been going through recently, they believe that democracy brought about anarchy, lawlessness and increase in crime all over the country. Some people level their harshest criticism at the advocates of democracy by calling them "boorish and unscrupulous." Every third respondent (34%) believes that Russia has too little democracy at the moment due to violations of human rights, lack of law and order, and deterioration of living standards. On the other hand, 21% of the respondents believe there is too much democracy in Russia. Some of them actually come up with the same list of problems as those who find faults with democracy (lack law and order, politicians' irresponsibility and unaccountability). In short, the negative attitude of the Russians toward democracy stems largely from their resentment against today's version of democracy in Russia. However, some respondents regard democracy as an unacceptable political system. Putin's era is the most democratic period in history of Russia, according to 29% of the respondents. The era of Brezhnev is a runner-up by these criteria (14%). Gorbachev's time seems the most democratic one to 11% while the Yeltsin years look like a true democracy to 9% of the people who took part in the poll.
Related News
Monsignor Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz supposes that the beatification process of John Paul II will be soon started
Vladimir Putin is to meet Emomali Rakhmonov in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Wednesda
The National Assembly of Iraq elected on Wednesday a presidential council made up of three people
The Russian government is considering the possibility of converting the main national airport Sheremetyevo into an international transit facility
Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Colonel-General Vasili Smirnov, has recently given a press conference
Vladimir Putin met with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday
President Fidel Castro praised Pope John Paul II Monday for his support of world peace and defense of the poor before joining other communist leaders
President Hu Jintao of China is to make a state visit to Russia some time this summer
John Paul II died on Saturday, April 2nd, at 21:37 CET
Kyrgyzstan's deposed president has agreed to resign without conditions
Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia has expressed his deep condolences to the world's Roman Catholic community over the death of Pope John Paul II
John Paul II was the only Catholic leader to have offered a public apology for the Crusades
Berl Lazar offered condolences to Russian Catholics in connection with the death of Pope John Paul II on behalf of the Jewish community
The Russian Emergencies Ministry's mobile hospital has opened on the Indonesian island of Nias
Russian Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov started a two-day official visit to Slovakia on Monday
A U.S. military transport plane crashed in central Albania
Pope John Paul II is in grave condition
Militants have shot at Grozny's regional interior department officers
Georgia and Ukraine are ready to challenge the Russian influence in the post-Soviet space
Adoption of children in Russia is getting rather problematic today
Mar
April 2005
May
Mo
Tu
We
Th
Fr
Sa
Su
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8