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WHAT DO WE WANT?

The answers of respondents, regarding goods and their prices, leave a mixed feeling. The overwhelming majority prefers a market variant, i.e. wide offer of goods and services at free market prices (83.4%). An even bigger percentage of young people answered so (95.7%). Those, who long for the socialist deficits and poor quality of goods make up a minority, and those are not young people (Table 1).

Table 1. Preferences concerning goods and services, %

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However, once the respondents were asked whether the state must regulate prices of commodities and services, the distribution of answers changed drastically (Table 2). As it can be seen from the table, the number of proponents of the state regulation of prices is big enough – 69.3%. It is good that fewer young people gave this answer, but the high percentage of anti-market minded people makes one feel uncomfortable.

Table 2. Should the government set prices, %

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Although the share of respondents, who support the state regulation of prices is on the constant decrease (down from 80.9% in December 1997 and 74.3% in September 1998), it seems that answering this question the respondents thought about other people, wanting low prices for others and high quality goods for themselves.

The conclusion is as follows: although more people become proponents of a market economy, their market views are still vague and leave their societal thinking unchanged. Many people would like to enjoy all the good things to a market economy (wide offer of quality goods and services, high wages etc.), but avoid its natural ills (unemployment, a need to be active to earn your living, and a necessity to gain better qualifications).