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In May of 2006 independent sociologists conducted an opinion poll among public opinion leaders and experts (those face-to-face interviewed are over 60 policymakers, mass media leaders, scientists and businessmen almost equally representing private and public sectors). We offer to your attention commentaries to its most important findings.
ELITE AS AN AGENT OF SOCIAL LIFE
Very often the results of opinion polls among leaders of public opinion and experts, or the Belarusian elite, are disparaged both among democrats (“we know what we think about this, while nomenclature doesn’t decide anything!”) and in the official circles (“this is just an opinion of ‘self-titled pseudo-elite’ which doesn’t play any role in the public life!”) In our opinion, such arrogance only increases alienation of both groups from reality and therefore cuts their ability to influence social and political life...
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BELARUSIAN ELITE LOOKS AT THE WEST
It is well known how the Belarusian authorities take the West. It is more than ten years since they ordered to shoot the balloon with American pilots, but their relations with the West haven’t improved yet. Despite growing trade with Western countries, political tenseness only increases and acquires the traits of civilization division. Self-isolation of the country is throwing it out of the European system of values...
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PAYING BUT NOT WITH "FAMILY JEWELS"
Russia-Belarus relations, judging by constant leaks into Russian newspaper Kommersant, hold a firm first place in the line of news. According to its publication of May 30, Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom offered to Belarus “to purchase natural gas for $200 per 1,000 m3 in 2007 instead of $46.68 which it currently pays. Experts say such stiffness is the result of Kremlin’s failure to take gas distributors of CIS under its control”...
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YOUTHS DON'T SEE PROSPECTS FOR THEM IN BELARUS
The results of the nation opinion poll conducted in the second part of April of 2006 have revealed, as the Table 1 shows, that the number of respondents who think that the quality of living in the country is (to a different extent) good is almost 1.5-fold greater than the number of those who say it is bad (24.9% vs. 17.3%). Nearly 57% of the polled estimated it as the average, but it is obvious that positive estimates of the quality of living are in general dominating in the Belarusian society...
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ARE BELARUSIANS CONTENTED WITH HOW CHERNOBYL PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED?
Aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster still remains a burning and topical issue for the Belarusian society. Unfortunately, it will stay for a long time yet. For the 20 years since the catastrophe, they have eliminated only its major and the most outrageous, or the most noticeable, aftermaths. There are some latent problems still outstanding. Nevertheless, attitude of people to the Chernobyl problem is gradually changing...
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NOSTALGIC ELITE
The issue of “Homo Sovieticus” is vital to understand the political processes taking place in the modern Belarus. It is not occasional. According to the opinion poll conducted by the Russia’s Centre for Public Opinion Research in March of 1991, yet before the USSR collapse, only 24% of ethnic Belarusians identified themselves as citizens of the Belarusian Soviet Republic and 69% - as USSR citizens. Belonging of Belarusians to the USSR became an all-time high among the nationalities of the former Soviet republics. To compare, this ratio in Estonia was 97% vs. 3%...
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