We introduce the most important findings of the nation opinion poll (those face-to-face interviewed – 1516 persons aged 18 and over, margin of error does not exceed 0.03), conducted IISEPS in March 2005. "No answer" and "Find it difficult to answer" alternatives are not available in the most of the tables

ENDURING ECHO OF REFERENDUM
While the last year referendum that has dramatically changed both the political layout and the political prospects of Belarus is over long ago, they still dispute in Belarus if referendum results reflected true state of things, if the Belarusian society has become more consolidated and more confident in its future and, finally, how all this will influence future development of this country...

INEQUITY OF AUTHORITIES PUSHES THE PEOPLE TO REVOLUTION
Nowadays, many Belarusians wonder what caused a number of recent “color revolutions” in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Such different countries with diverse histories and cultures witnessed almost the same outcome – the people revolted and overthrew the power almost without mass violence and blood. Commenting on those dramatic events, the Belarusian authorities gave three major reasons of why that could happen: “First, weak power; second, low living standard and third – implementation of Western political technologies”...

NO CHANGES AT THE ELECTORAL FRONT?
As the polling results show, the electoral breakdown in Belarus has changed insignificantly over the past four months. In general, both “peak point” and “pattern” remained unchanged...

"ORANGE" PROSPECTS OF BELARUS
The events in the neighboring Ukraine that ended up in the third round of presidential election and election of V. Yuschenko for presidency hardly left anyone indifferent in Belarus. Apart from political reasons, this is as well geographic, cultural and historic proximity that has played its role...

ENTREPRENEURS, A SOCIAL FORCE!
As the polling data shows, people actively use the services of individual entrepreneurs in their everyday life. In particular, as it goes from poll, 57.3% of respondents use their services daily or several days a week (some 6% don’t use their service). Hence, the citizens are well aware of the problems the authorities create to the traders...

FIASCO OF CHERNOBYL PROGRAM
Statements of A. Lukashenko about negative impact that health-improving trips abroad make on the outlook of the Belarusian children as well as his directive to take this field under state control have stirred wide response in Belarus and in those countries of the West whose charity organizations have been taking part in such projects over a long time...

EUROPE - NEARBY AND REMOTE
Although the relations between the official Minsk and the West are below the freezing point for a long time already, attitude of the Belarusians to the West, in particular to the united Europe, is totally positive. Answers of respondents show that nowadays 52.8% of Belarusians want that Belarus joins the EU (against – 44.4%)...

ATTITUDE TO VISA SANCTIONS vs. POLITICAL FRAMES OF MIND
Referendum of 2004 in Belarus, namely the “peculiar procedure” of how it was carried, caused resentment in the European Union as well as generated discussion of the European policy towards Belarus, that same stick and the carrot that would in the best way contribute to positive changes in the country...

HUSH IS DISCREDITING OF AUTHORITIES
Arrest, trial and heavy sentence to former Minister of External Economic Relations of Belarus Mikhail Marinich drew close attention of the foreign community. The European Union, Council of Europe and the USA spoke out in defense of the ex-minister...

WHO SAYS TRUTH ABOUT EU COUNTRIES?
According to the statistics, living standard in the new EU countries (Poland, Latvia and Lithuania) is significantly higher than in Belarus. This cannot be denied provided you have proper data, unless we deal with someone else but Belarusian state ideology or with deliberate delusion...

IS IT THE RIGHT COURSE THAT OUR ECONOMICS GOES?
As the polling data shows, over a third of citizens (33.8%) think that the authorities chose the wrong economic course and another quarter of respondents evades the question. Although the number of supporters of the current economic course is fairly large (41.3%), this cannot serve a ground for the statements about national support of the current economic course that the state-run media make...

ECONOMICS IS GETTING BETTER NOWADAYS. HOW WILL IT LOOK TOMORROW?
Polling data reveals that the economic situation in the country has become more favorable in the past year. Thus, over the past two years the number of those who think their well-being improved has increased more than twofold – from 6.5% to 13.7%. On the other hand, the number of those who think their well-being deteriorated has decreased twofold (from 41.6% to 21.2%)...

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRUPTIBILITY IN THE COUNTRY?
Many still remember the notorious report on struggle against corruptibility delivered by A. Lukashenko early 1994 at the session of the Supreme Council. The ‘most corrupted’ official and Speaker of the Parliament S. Shushkevch who, according to A. Lukashenko, ‘stole two kilos of nails’ was condemned and dismissed while the troubled time of perestroika threw to the very top a previously unknown director of a declining state-run farm who became the first president of Belarus...

FRESH NEWS FROM INFORMATION BATTLEFIELDS
One of the pillars that now support the current power is tight control over the information available to the Belarusian citizens. Therefore, common media space of Russia and Belarus as well as superiority of Russian mass media in quality and quantity, especially electronic ones, remained for a long time an implicit threat for A. Lukashenko...

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