The mouthpiece of the presidential administration, newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussia has these days pompously praised social and economic results of the previous year. According to the state statistics, the growth of working efficiency in the real sector of economics has made 10-12%, profitability has increased by 10-12%, the number of non-profitable enterprises has decreased by a quarter and an average salary in the real sector has reached $150 in equivalent. The figures are impressive! Yet, what has really improved in the living of an average citizen who the authorities, as the official propaganda claims, take care about day and night? The newspaper also gives the answer to this question, although a modest one: “According to sociological data, about half of the population estimates the precedent year as a good one.” Such modesty as well as anonymity of the sociologists mentioned raise distrust. The results of our latest nation opinion poll witness that not in vain.
Table 1. Distribution of answers to the question “In your opinion, how has the financial position of your family changed over the past 12 months?”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
|||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
|||||||
M
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
||
Has deteriorated |
44.4
|
46.3
|
42.7
|
45.8
|
49.2
|
27.8
|
35.5
|
46.8
|
48.0
|
Hasn’t changed |
41.0
|
37.5
|
43.9
|
34.4
|
37.2
|
43.1
|
51.1
|
37.7
|
37.2
|
Has improved |
12.7
|
14.5
|
11.1
|
19.0
|
11.7
|
27.5
|
12.0
|
13.0
|
12.9
|
Table 2. Distribution of answers to the question “Would you please indicate the average per capita income (including salaries, pensions, welfare payments and other extra-earnings) your family had in the past month:”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
||||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
||||||||
09’02
|
11’03
|
M
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
|
Under the living wage budget ($ 52.4) |
49.5
|
51.6
|
48.1
|
54.6
|
52.3
|
46.8
|
56.3
|
63.8
|
49.7
|
45.1
|
From the living wage budget to the minimum consumer budget ($ 84.2) |
32.7
|
38.2
|
37.6
|
38.6
|
35.4
|
39.4
|
38.3
|
34.2
|
40.2
|
38.6
|
From the minimum consumer budget to $ 100 |
12.2
|
5.8
|
7.6
|
4.1
|
4.6
|
9.1
|
3.0
|
0.5
|
5.9
|
9.3
|
Over $ 100 |
5.6
|
3.7
|
5.7
|
2.1
|
5.7
|
4.3
|
1.9
|
0.5
|
3.5
|
6.2
|
Table 3. Distribution of answers to the question “In your opinion, do people live better in Belarus or in Russia?”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
|||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
|||||||
M
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
||
In Russia |
31.4
|
35.8
|
27.8
|
38.0
|
37.8
|
20.8
|
17.4
|
37.3
|
35.3
|
Equally |
31.6
|
31.2
|
31.9
|
31.4
|
33.1
|
30.0
|
36.0
|
30.1
|
32.9
|
In Belarus |
28.2
|
26.2
|
30.1
|
24.5
|
22.8
|
36.3
|
35.7
|
25.4
|
25.9
|
Table 4. Distribution of answers to the question “In your opinion, is the country in general going in the right or wrong direction?”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
|||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
|||||||
M
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
||
In the right |
32.9
|
30.8
|
34.6
|
17.4
|
23.9
|
51.4
|
51.5
|
28.2
|
24.6
|
In the wrong |
49.1
|
56.7
|
42.8
|
63.6
|
60.0
|
29.2
|
27.8
|
55.1
|
58.0
|
Table 5. Distribution of answers to the question “Are you satisfied with how the current authorities of Belarus solve the problems of the country?”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
|||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
|||||||
M
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
||
Satisfied* |
25.2
|
22.6
|
27.3
|
12.0
|
15.2
|
43.3
|
42.6
|
18.7
|
19.5
|
Dissatisfied** |
69.5
|
72.9
|
66.5
|
84.6
|
80.8
|
48.7
|
47.1
|
77.7
|
76.7
|
* This answer incorporates answers “Satisfied” and “Rather satisfied”
** This answer incorporates answers “Dissatisfied” and “Rather dissatisfied”
Table 6. Distribution of answers to the question “In general, are you satisfied with how A. Lukashenko has been ruling the country over the past nine years? Give your mark on a five-point scale, where 5 is “absolutely satisfied” and 1 – “absolutely dissatisfied”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
|||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
|||||||
M
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
||
1 |
23.0
|
29.7
|
17.2
|
32.5
|
26.9
|
13.3
|
11.3
|
25.7
|
28.4
|
2 |
20.5
|
21.5
|
19.8
|
26.8
|
27.1
|
10.0
|
10.1
|
23.1
|
25.2
|
3 |
21.2
|
19.3
|
22.8
|
25.1
|
22.5
|
17.7
|
15.3
|
25.0
|
21.7
|
4 |
21.2
|
17.7
|
24.1
|
9.9
|
16.3
|
33.1
|
33.5
|
17.2
|
16.7
|
5 |
12.4
|
10.1
|
14.4
|
3.0
|
5.7
|
25.0
|
27.7
|
7.9
|
6.3
|
Average mark |
2.79
|
2.56
|
2.99
|
2.22
|
2.46
|
3.47
|
3.57
|
2.58
|
2.46
|
Table 7. Distribution of answers to the question “Do you think A. Lukashenko understands problems and concerns of the people like you?”, %
Variant of answer |
All population
|
Among them:
|
|||||||
Sex:
|
Age:
|
Education:
|
|||||||
М
|
W
|
Under 30
|
30-50
|
50 +
|
Below secondary
|
General secondary
|
Above secondary
|
||
Yes |
44.6
|
37.9
|
50.2
|
25.9
|
33.6
|
67.0
|
67.3
|
39.0
|
34.4
|
No |
44.2
|
51.0
|
38.5
|
61.1
|
54.4
|
23.5
|
23.1
|
50.0
|
53.1
|