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RESULTS OF THE NATION OPINION POLL CONDUCTED IN APRIL OF 2006

(1594 persons interviewed, margin of error does not exceed 0.03)

 

1. In your opinion, how do people live in Belarus?

Variant of answer

Better than in Belarus

Like in Belarus

Worse than in Belarus

DA/NA

Poland

50.8

26.0

11.4

11.8

Latvia

39.7

26.3

18.0

16.0

Lithuania

36.8

27.3

20.0

15.9

Russia

24.6

40.7

28.1

6.6

Ukraine

10.9

26.0

56.1

7.0

2. On April 26, 2006 it will be twenty years since the Chernobyl Catastrophe, and it will have its impact on lives of Belarusians for much longer time yet. What do you feel in this regards?

Variant of answer

%

Uneasiness

40.9

Anxiety

41.0

I’m not much concerned about this

16.2

DA/NA

1.9

3. After the catastrophe, some of Belarusians decreased or at all stopped consuming the foodstuffs that can accumulate radioactive elements (like mushrooms, forest berries, meat broths from bones, etc). Do you do the same?

Variant of answer

%

No

69.0

Yes

31.0

4. Some people say that crops should not be planted or gathered at the territories which suffered from the Chernobyl catastrophe (this is almost a quarter of Belarusian territories). Others think that crops can be planted provided there is strict control and technology observation. What’s your opinion about this?

Variant of answer

%

I think no crops from these areas can be used for food

35.2

I think some crops can be used for food provided there’s strict control and technology observation

32.3

I think any crops can be used for food provided there’s strict control and technology observation

28.3

DA/NA

4.2

5. Some people say that their health as well as health of their relatives aggravated after the Chernobyl Catastrophe. Others don’t agree with this. What’s your opinion on this?

Variant of answer

%

I agree with this

85.3

I don’t agree with this

7.8

DA/NA

6.9

6. Many of benefits for people from Chernobyl contaminated areas have been cancelled over lately so as to save funds for the state budget. Some people agree with this decision, others – not. What is your opinion?

Variant of answer

%

I agree with this

68.5

I don’t agree with this

21.8

DA/NA

9.7

7. About a million of Belarusian children went abroad for health-improving trips during the years from Chernobyl catastrophe. Who do you think made the greatest contribution into organization of such trips?

Variant of answer

%

Belarusian NGO’s (like For Children of Chernobyl and other)

35.0

Foreign countries

30.5

Belarusian authorities

24.5

DA/NA

10.0

8. A. Lukashenko has recently ordered to take under strict state control health-improving trips of children from contaminated areas on the grounds that children come back after those trips with a changed outlook. What is attitude to this?

Variant of answer

%

I don’t support this proposition

53.3

I support this proposition

23.8

It doesn’t matter for me

17.1

DA/NA

5.8

9. Are you satisfied with how the Belarusian authorities carry out the post-disaster cleanup?

Variant of answer

%

Not satisfied

33.3

Totally satisfied

17.9

Partially satisfied

40.7

DA/NA

8.1

10. Would you like the USSR restoration?

Variant of answer

%

No

63.4

Yes

26.7

DA/NA

9.9

11. Do you think the people like you influence political and socio-economic decision taking in this country?

Variant of answer

%

No, they don’t

51.7

Yes, they do

42.1

DA/NA

6.2

12. Do you think fair decisions can be taken under the current judicial system in Belarus?

Variant of answer

%

Yes, they can be

51.8

No, this is almost impossible

38.3

DA/NA

9.9

13. Do you place yourself in the opposition to the current authorities?

Variant of answer

%

No

73.3

Yes

18.5

DA/NA

8.2

14. Presidential candidate Alexander Kozulin, former head of the Belarusian State University, has been arrested on a charge of “antisocial behavior” (for trying to enter the All-Belarusian Assembly and for calling people at the meeting to go to prison and support detained participants of protest actions). He will now most likely be put in jail. Some people approve this action of authorities, and others – not. What is your opinion?

Variant of answer

%

Approve

39.9

Don’t approve

34.5

It doesn’t matter for me

19.8

DA/NA

5.8

15. Did you discuss with your family, friends or colleagues the events pertaining to the mass actions of protest against the results of the presidential election?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

70.3

No

29.7

16. Do you think Alexander Lukashenko, who now stands in his office for the third term, is a legitimate president of Belarus?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

63.6

No

25.8

DA/NA

10.6

17. Belarusian and Russian are the two state languages of Belarus. Some people agree with this, others think that Belarusian should be the only state language. Also, there are some who think that Russian should be the only state language. What is your opinion?

Variant of answer

%

Belarusian and Russian should be the two state languages of Belarus

67.4

Belarusian should be the only state language of Belarus

15.2

Russian should be the only state language of Belarus

8.7

It doesn’t matter for me

8.6

NA

0.1

18. Do you think the West is hostile towards Belarus and the Belarusians should be very careful about it?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

48.4

No

42.1

DA/NA

9.5

19. List five countries which you think are the most friendly and five countries which you think are the most non-friendly towards Belarus

Country

Friendly

Non-friendly

Russia

85.1

1.4

China

43.1

2.1

Ukraine

24.9

13.5

Kazakhstan

23.2

2.3

Cuba

20.3

2.4

Poland

19.9

23.3

Germany

16.8

15.2

Iran

13.3

9.8

Italy

11.4

6.8

Lithuania

10.6

19.5

Bulgaria

10.0

1.2

Latvia

9.2

23.4

Moldova

9.2

4.5

Japan

8.7

2.4

Iraq

7.9

10.9

Kyrgyzstan

6.4

1.7

Israel

6.2

3.4

North Korea

6.2

2.5

Armenia

5.3

1.9

Uzbekistan

4.6

2.1

Azerbaijan

4.4

2.2

Georgia

4.2

23.8

USA

4.1

74.3

Slovakia

3.6

4.9

Turkmenistan

3.5

1.2

France

3.0

11.6

Lebanon

2.7

5.3

Romania

2.7

2.3

UK

2.6

21.6

Serbia

2.6

5.0

Czech Republic

2.4

4.0

Turkey

2.3

2.3

Syria

1.3

5.0

Sweden

1.3

4.1

Estonia

0.7

11.9

 

20. To which extent are you ready to accept representatives of the following nationalities?

Variant of answer

Ready to make a family

Ready to work together

Ready to live in the neighborhood

Ready to live in one city/town

Ready to live in Belarus

NA

Russians

50.9

14.9

19.8

5.2

8.6

0.6

Ukrainians

32.8

19.2

28.5

8.3

10.4

0.8

Poles

31.1

21.7

25.9

9.0

11.0

1.3

Western Europeans (English, French, Germans, etc.)

21.6

26.1

24.2

10.1

16.9

1.1

Americans

16.2

23.4

23.1

7.9

27.7

1.7

Natives from Central Europe (Czech, Slovaks, Hungarians, Serbs, etc.)

14.2

26.1

27.5

12.8

18.5

0.9

Jews

12.8

22.9

33.8

11.9

17.5

1.1

Lithuanians

12.6

24.4

31.3

11.5

19.2

1.0

Letts

11.5

23.1

32.2

11.5

20.2

1.5

Natives from Central Asia (Uzbeks, Kazakhs and others)

4.0

18.9

28.9

15.3

31.6

1.3

Natives from the Caucasus (Azerbaijani, Armenians, Georgians, Chechens, etc.)

2.4

14.6

26.7

10.3

44.2

1.8

Arabs

2.3

14.5

26.9

10.3

44.1

1.9

Africans

1.9

13.1

28.4

10.8

44.0

1.8

Natives from South Eastern Asia (Vietnamese, Chinese, etc.)

1.5

16.3

24.1

11.5

44.6

2.0

21. Do you think you have enough information about the EU to decide if Belarus should join the EU or not?

Variant of answer

%

Have not enough information

55.7

Have enough information

36.0

DA/NA

8.3

 

22. If there was now a referendum in Belarus on accession into the European Union and you could choose between ‘For’, ‘Against’ or abstain from voting, what would you choose?

Variant of answer

%

Against

33.8

For

32.4

Wouldn’t come to voting

18.8

NA

15.0

 

23. Do you think you have enough information about the NATO to decide if Belarus should join the NATO or not?

Variant of answer

%

Have not enough information

61.4

Have enough information

31.3

DA/NA

7.3

 

24. If there was now a referendum in Belarus on joining the NATO and you could choose between ‘For’, ‘Against’ or abstain from voting, what would you choose?

Variant of answer

%

Against

46.2

For

14.4

Wouldn’t come to voting

22.6

NA

16.8

 

25. Would you like to know more about the events taking place in EU countries as well as about activity of EU Council of Ministers, European Commission and European Parliament?

Variant of answer

%

Yes

58.4

No

32.8

DA/NA

8.8

26. In your opinion, will Belarus enter the EU some day?

Variant of answer

%

Never

31.7

Yes, but not earlier than in 10 years

29.4

Yes, within the next ten years

13.5

DA/NA

25.4

27. The European Commission, an EU executive body, has announced about its readiness to open office in Minsk. What’s your attitude to this?

Variant of answer

%

This is good

39.4

This is bad

8.3

I don’t care about this

44.1

DA/NA

8.2

28. In early March, US President G. Bush submitted a special letter to the Congress within the framework of the Democracy Act on Belarus. The letter states that President A. Lukashenko receives incomes from arms traffic into his personal fund and therefore proposes to stop his bank accounts abroad. Some of Belarusian citizens say this is good and other – this is bad. What is your attitude to this initiative of G. Bush?

Variant of answer

%

Negative

38.2

Positive

28.2

Indifferent

25.9

DA/NA

7.7

 

29. Following mass actions of protest against the results of the presidential election of March 19, over a thousand persons, the youth mainly, were detained and sentenced to various terms of punishment (from 3 to 15 days). Heads of some European states stated in this regards that students-participants of the actions who would be send down from Belarusian universities would receive an opportunity to continue their studies abroad. What is your attitude to such statements?

Variant of answer

%

Approve

46.3

Don’t approve

41.6

DA/NA

12.1

 

30. Have you met with foreign citizens (except for CIS citizens) over the past three years?

Variant of answer

%

No, I haven’t

59.4

Yes, many times

8.9

Yes, several times

20.3

Yes, once

11.4

 

31. Do you go to neighboring countries to see your friends, for shopping, etc.?

Variant of answer

%

No

65.6

Yes, to EU countries (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia)

12.1

Yes, to Russia

10.6

Yes, to Ukraine

11.7

 

32. If you go, then how often?

Variant of answer

%

Several times a month

10.2

Several times a year

46.4

Once a year

43.3

NA

0.1

33. Where do you think people live better, in Belarus or in the EU countries?

Variant of answer

%

In the EU countries

45.8

In Belarus

39.5

DA/NA

14.7

 

34. If you had an opportunity, would you like to work on a temporary basis in an EU country?

Variant of answer

%

No

48.4

Yes

47.2

DA/NA

4.4

35. Belarusian television often talks about a plot of Western countries led by the USA which they try to organize to overthrow the current power in Belarus. Do you believe in such a plot?

Variant of answer

%

No, I don’t believe

47.2

Yes, I believe

41.6

DA/NA

11.2

 

36. Do you talk in your family, with your friends and colleagues about how people live in EU countries?

Variant of answer

%

Yes, sometimes

52.2

Yes, often

22.4

No

25.4

 

37. There are people in Belarus and in Russia who think that it would be better for the two countries if they merge and A. Lukashenko heads this union. What’s your opinion of this?

Variant of answer

%

I want this happen

35.5

I don’t care about this

17.4

I wouldn’t like this happen

36.0

DA/NA

11.1

38. Head of Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom A. Miller stated in late March that starting from 2007 Belarus will have to buy gas at European prices, i.e. pay fivefold more than presently. What do you think about this demand?

Variant of answer

%

It is unfair. Belarus is Russia’s closest ally, and Russia shouldn’t demand that Belarus pays for gas at the same prices like other countries

61.3

It is fair. Any product should be paid for as much as it costs.

30.8

DA/NA

7.9

39. How do you think should Belarus respond to Russia’s demand to buy gas at European prices?

Variant of answer

%

Demand that Russia pays more for transit, for its military targets and other services which Belarus renders to Russia

58.0

Persuade Russia not to increase prices for its ally

41.5

NA

0.5

40. In your opinion, at what conditions can Belarus sell its gas transportation and supply enterprise Beltransgaz?

Variant of answer

%

Under no circumstances they should sell Beltransgaz

82.0

They could sell it at market prices

16.9

NA

1.1

41. Which of the statements below do you agree?

Variant of answer

%

Belarus is a self-sufficient country. Its economy will survive even if prices for gas rise to the European level.

53.6

If Russia takes prices for gas to the European level for Belarus, the Belarusian economy will collapse.

45.5

NA

0.9

42. What is the historic path for Belarus, in your opinion?

Variant of answer

%

Its own original path

56.8

Coming back on the Soviet path of development

25.5

Common path of the European civilization

17.3

NA

0.4

43. What is the historic path for Russia, in your opinion?

Variant of answer

%

Its own original path

51.2

Common path of the European civilization

29.5

Coming back on the Soviet path of development

19.2

NA

0.1