Regardless of an active propaganda in state-run mass media of economic achievements of the authorities, the population is still mainly concerned about social-economic problems. The most significant among them are: price rise and impoverishment of the population (71.9% and 60.6% of the answers, respectively). There is also an increased concern about unemployment (49.4%), what is an evident of its latent growth.
Table 1 clearly shows that there is a decrease in number of those who believe the economic situation in the country has improved. During the last two and a half years the dynamics of such answers proves the fact that the public sense of certain economic improvement, which took place in 2001, is closely related to the authorities’ efforts to intensify social expenses of legal entities during the presidential election, rather than to a recovery of the national economy. After the 2001 election the economy, as many expected, returned to its usual condition, and the survey results reflect the tendency.
Table 1. Change of the economic situation in Belarus over the last year, %
Today only every seventh (13.8%) believes that during A. Lukashenko’s ruling his life and life of his family has improved. Every second (48.5%) thinks in the opposite. That is a further proof of an unfavorable economic situation in the country.
As we see from Table 2, the structure of the population by the level of incomes per capita has not changed recently (excluding the presidential campaign). Almost half of Belarusians (49.5%) live below the poverty line (the minimum wage budget), another third (32.7%) has incomes below the level of simple reproduction (the minimum living wage). In other words, 82.2% of our fellow citizens could hardly make ends meet.
Table 2. Dynamics of distribution of answers to the question “Please, state average income (including wages, pensions and other incomes) for one family members last month:”, %
Aside form low incomes, the population is concerned about backpays in wages and pensions. During the last year two thirds of the respondents (67.4%) have faced such problem, and 55.4% – have faced it repeatedly.
If the above data proves there are serious grounds to be concerned about the social-economic situation in the country, the survey materials demonstrate that the population lacks optimism regarding an improvement of the situation in the future. Two thirds of the respondents (66.3%) predict the economic situation to deteriorate or to remain unchanged. Only every sixth respondent sounds optimistic in this respect (16.9%).
Every second respondent (49.1%) is confident the state of affairs in our country develops in a wrong direction. Right after the election 38.1% of the respondents gave a similar answer. As of today, only 21.3% of voters believe the country develops in the right direction.
Only every fourth (24.4%) expects the authorities to improve the situation, and every fifth (20%) – expects stability. Almost one-third (30.7%) expects nothing from Belarus’ authorities, they rely only on themselves. As for other public interests, an insignificant number of the respondents expects the authorities to realize them. The data proves the population does not believe the authorities are able to solve the pressing problems of public life.
To certain degree 57.2% of the respondents are not satisfied with A. Lukashenko’s ruling. Only 39.1% think in the opposite.
The activity of all branches and levels of state authorities is assessed very low by the population (See Table 3). As one could see, on average none of the presented institutions enjoys a satisfactory grade. Probably for that reason the number of those who trust any state institutions (excluding the army) is much smaller than the number of those who have no trust at all.
Table 3. Distribution of answers to the question “How would you assess the work of Belarus’ authorities on a 5-grade scale?”, %
| Institution |
Grade
|
|||||
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
On average
|
|
| President |
17.6
|
20.5
|
30.7
|
21.1
|
8.3
|
2.82
|
| Government |
18.1
|
27.5
|
37.2
|
12.9
|
2.6
|
2.54
|
| Parliament |
20.3
|
28.7
|
35.5
|
11.5
|
2.2
|
2.46
|
| Local authorities |
24.0
|
25.1
|
31.4
|
14.8
|
2.7
|
2.46
|
Thus, it seems there is no point for Belarusians in setting hopes and expecting our authorities to improve the economic situation in the country.