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RESULTS OF THE NATION OPINION POLL CONDUCTED IN MARCH-APRIL OF 2006

(1496 persons interviewed, margin of error does not exceed 0.03)

 

1. Do you think in general the country is going in the right or wrong direction?

Variant of answer

%

In the right direction

59.5

In the wrong direction

30.7

DA/NA

9.8

2. In your opinion, can young people presently make a good career in Belarus?

Variant of answer

%

Yes, young people can make a good career in Belarus

54.4

No, they better go to some other country for this

30.1

DA/NA

15.5

3. Which of the statements below you think describes the best the degree of social tension in the Belarusian society?

Variant of answer

%

There is almost no social tension or social conflicts in the Belarusian society

35.9

Social tension takes place in the Belarusian society for a long time, yet it is weaker than in Russia or other CIS countries

39.0

Social tension is very high in the Belarusian society and tends to increasing even more

17.1

DA/NA

8.0

4. In your opinion, do in general Belarusians have all freedom, partial freedom, little freedom or don’t have freedom to live like they want?

Variant of answer

%

All freedom

27.5

Partial freedom

32.2

Little freedom

21.5

No freedom

16.2

DA/NA

2.6

5. Have you suffered an offence from government bodies for the past three years?

Variant of answer

%

No, I haven’t

60.4

Yes, many times

8.9

Yes, several times

18.7

Yes, once

8.9

DA/NA

3.1

6. Some people say over lately that outside forces try to carry out a color revolution in Belarus. Do you think this is true or not?

Variant of answer

%

Yes, this is absolutely true

22.1

Most likely, this is true

32.8

Most likely, this is not true

22.3

No, this is absolutely not true

11.1

DA/NA

11.7

7. On March 16, General S. Sukhorenko, KGB Chair, publicly stated that ‘a coup d’etat is prepared in the country under the cover of the presidential election.” Do you agree with this?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

30.9

No

49.1

DA/NA

20.0

8. On March 16, General S. Sukhorenko also stated that active participation in the actions of protest against the election results would be regarded as terrorist acts. Do you as well think that mass actions of protest are a form of terrorism?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

26.8

No

58.1

DA/NA

15.1

9. A number of democratic leaders who openly aired their discontent with the carried political course were arrested shortly before the presidential election on the grounds that they were preparing terrorist acts. Do you think these arrests have political grounds or they are based on true information about preparation of terrorist acts?

Variant of answer

%

These are arrests for political grounds

57.0

These arrests are based on true information about preparation of terrorist acts

26.3

DA/NA

16.7

10. An All-Belarusian Assembly was carried in Minsk in early March. A. Lukashenko stated at it that the political and economic course of the country is chosen right and it won’t change within the next five years. Do you agree with this statement?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

54.2

No

36.4

DA/NA

9.4

11. When trying to get registered for participation in the All-Belarusian Assembly, presidential candidate A. Kozulin, former Head of the Belarusian State University, was beaten up by special services officers. Also, they instituted two criminal cases against him for ‘unlawful actions.’ What is your attitude to this?

Variant of answer

%

I approve these actions of the authorities

30.3

I condemn these actions of the authorities

38.4

This doesn’t matter to me

20.4

DA/NA

10.9

12. Do you think you are more a European or a Soviet man?

Variant of answer

%

I’m a European

36.0

I’m a Soviet man

52.0

DA/NA

12.0

13. If there’s a referendum on Russia-Belarus Union State’s Constitution, how will you vote at it?

Variant of answer

%

I will vote for

48.2

I will vote against

28.3

I won’t come to voting

10.4

DA/NA

13.1

14. If you were to choose between integration with Russia and accession to the EU, what would you choose?

Variant of answer

%

Integration with Russia

56.1

Accession to the EU

31.9

DA/NA

12.0

15. Did you watch performances of presidential candidates on TV?

Variant of answer

%

Yes, I did, on February 22

11.3

Yes, I did, on March 2

15.3

Yes, I watched them twice – on February 22 and on March 2

36.3

No, I didn’t

37.1

16. If you did, whose speech made the most impression on you?

Variant of answer

%

Speech of S. Gaidukevich

2.2

Speech of A. Kozulin

13.7

Speech of A. Milinkevich

15.8

None of them made an impression on me

35.9

NA

32.4

17. Did these performances influence your decision to vote for this or that candidate?

Variant of answer

%

Influenced greatly

9.3

Influenced to a certain degree

18.8

Din’t influence at all

43.8

DA/NA

28.1

18. Do you think the presidential election of March 19 was free and fair?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

57.9

No

32.9

DA/NA

9.2

19. In your opinion, were candidates put in equal conditions during the election?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

48.3

No

43.1

DA/NA

8.6

20. Were observers present at your polling station when you came to voting?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

57.1

No

20.7

DA/NA

22.2

21. Did you have enough information about presidential candidates to make your choice with confidence?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

71.6

No

27.4

NA

1.0

22. Did you happen to get informational leaflets about a candidate or meet and talk with his representatives?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

40.6

No

58.5

NA

0.9

23. If you did, leaflets about who of them you got and with whose representatives you met? (more than once answer is possible)

Variant of answer

%

S. Gaidukevich

3.6

А. Kozulin

14.2

А. Lukashenko

9.9

А. Milinkevich

25.6

Refused to answer

4.1

Don’t remember whose informational materials they got (DA)

5.9

24. When did you take final decision for whom of the candidates to vote?

Variant of answer

%

Long before voting

60.3

On the eve (5-6 days before the election)

23.6

On the voting day

8.0

I didn’t come to voting

7.8

NA

0.3

25. Did you feel any pressure to make you vote for a certain candidate?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

14.0

No

81.9

DA/NA

4.1

26. If you came to voting, did you vote ahead of term (March 14-18) or on March 19?

Variant of answer

%

I voted ahead of term (on March 14-18)

25.7

I voted on March 19

65.8

NA

8.5

27. If you voted ahead of term, did you do that from your own will or because someone (the authorities, your chief) forced you to do this?

Variant of answer

%

From my own will

29.0

They forced me to do this

4.9

NA

66.1

28. For whom did you vote at the presidential election of March 19?

Variant of answer

%

For S. Gaidukevich

2.0

For A. Kozulin

4.7

For A. Lukashenko

58.2

For A. Milinklevich

18.8

Against all

3.2

Refused to answer the question

4.1

Didn’t come to voting

8.0

NA

1.0

29. Choose two of the points listed below which were important for you when you took the decision for whom to vote at the presidential election of March 19? (more than once answer is possible)

Variant of answer

%

General standard of living

43.9

Democratization and independence in Belarus

21.5

Employment

19.9

Rise in prices

19.2

Improvement in healthcare

18.2

Payment of retirement pensions

16.3

Necessity of freedom in Belarus

9.0

Corruptibility in the society

8.6

Education

7.4

Relations with Russia

7.4

Relations with the West

6.2

Threat of terrorism

5.9

Crime

5.2

Freedom of religion

0.9

DA

3.4

30. In your opinion, were the election results announced by the Central Election Commission true or falsified?

Variant of answer

%

Certainly true

38.1

Rather true

25.6

Rather falsified

14.1

Certainly falsified

14.9

DA/NA

7.3

31. Many of our fellow citizens don’t trust the election results because opposition representatives weren’t presented in election commissions. What’s your opinion of this?

Variant of answer

%

Trust to election results would be higher if representatives of all political forces were presented in election commissions

59.6

Only those persons who represent interests of the authorities should be included in election commissions

18.6

DA/NA

21.8

32. Do you know that starting from March 19 multitudinous rallies against rigging of presidential election are carried at October Square in Minsk; their participants demand freedom for the country and second round of election?

Variant of answer

%

Yes, I know

69.4

No, I don’t know

26.9

DA/NA

3.7

33. What is your attitude to these actions of protest?

Variant of answer

%

Approve

20.4

Don’t approve

45.9

DA/NA

33.7

34. А. Lukashenko has become the president of the country again. Did you want this?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

59.8

No

33.4

DA/NA

6.8

35. In your opinion, what policy will A. Lukashenko carry after he got a new presidential mandate?

Variant of answer

%

His policy will become more progressive

29.7

His policy will become more reactionary

16.2

His policy won’t change

47.5

DA/NA

6.6

36. In your opinion, did A. Lukashenko’s victory contributed to consolidation of the Belarusian society or it, on the contrary, aggravated alienation within it?

Variant of answer

%

A. Lukashenko’s victory has even more united the Belarusian society

55.9

A. Lukashenko’s victory has even more alienated the Belarusian society

27.1

DA/NA

17.0

37. Is it the candidate you voted for who became the president?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

61.4

No

30.5

NA

8.1

38. If a new presidential election takes place tomorrow in Belarus, for whom would you vote?

Variant of answer

%

А. Lukashenko

60.3

А. Milinkevich

18.4

А. Kozulin

3.7

S. Gaidukevich

1.0

S. Shushkevich

0.6

Other candidate (6 names, under 0.5% each)

0.6

Other answer

2.9

DA/NA

12.5

39. New radio stations have recently started broadcasting (in Russian and Belarusian) from EU countries to Belarus. Do you listen to their programs?

Radio stations

Listen

Don’t listen

NA

European Radio for Belarus (Warsaw)

3.7

94.7

1.6

Belarusian Chronics, Deutsche Welle (Bonn)

2.4

96.4

1.2

Belarusian program at Radio Polonia (Warsaw)

3.1

95.3

1.6

Radio Racia (Belostok)

1.9

96.5

1.6

Baltic Wave (Vilnius)

1.0

97.1

1.9

40. What language do you speak in everyday communication?

Variant of answer

%

Belarusian

3.5

Russian

61.0

Both Russian and Belarusian

12.9

Crude mixture

21.5

Other

0.2

NA

0.9