"Economic feeling" of Belarusians continues to stabilize: although the number of those whose financial standing has improved for the last three months is still much less than the number of those whose financial standing has become worse, the ratio of these indices (15.3% vs. 40.4%) is much better than it used to be in December (7.1% vs. 59.8%), to say nothing about September (5.1% vs. 73.7%). The number of those who think that Belarusian economy is in crisis has decreased from 87.6% in September and 81.5% in December to 77.2%. This stabilization leads to an appreciable rise in "socio-economic optimism": if in September the ratio of those who expected worsening of the socio-economic situation in Belarus within the next few years, and those who expected its improvement, made up 52.7% vs. 12.9%, in December 45% vs. 17.1%, then today it is 22.5% vs. 32.7%. At the same time the optimism has a rather cautious character - "once bitten" Belarusians are "twice shy": only 34.7% of respondents believe the February promise of A. Lukashenko that "the pay level of working people that had existed before the crisis would be restored within a year or a year and a half", and 57.2% do not believe it.

Slow but obvious stabilization of the Belarusians' "economic feeling" was followed by stabilization of their attitude to the president. Thus, the number of those who consider him the main person responsible for the present crisis in the country has decreased from 61.2% in September and 53.7% in December to 48.6% today (the guilt of the government has grown from 41.3% in September to 46.6%, of the parliament - from 11.9% to 17.4%, of Europe - from 12% to 16% respectively). Today the greatest number of respondents (35.9%) pin their hopes for a way out of the crisis exactly on him (25.2% - on Russia, 24.7% - on businessmen, 19.7% - on the West, and 8.6% - on the opposition). The "scale-up trend" has told upon the rating of the president in the most obvious manner: in September 2011 it sank to 20.5% from 53% in December 2010, then it grew to 24.9% in December 2011 and today it constitutes 34.5%. At that the change is being observed along all the indices. For instance, the number of respondents who trust the president has increased from 24.5% in September and 31.2% in December to 42.2% today, and the number of those who do not trust him has decreased from 62% and 54.5% to 48.5% respectively. If in September the number of those who thought that after A. Lukashenko's resigning as president life in Belarus would improve exceeded noticeably the number of those who gave the opposite answer (35.2% vs. 23.8%) and remained close to the figures in December (31.7% vs. 21.5%), then today the first answer is given by 26%, the second - by 26.7%, and 36.5% consider that "life will remain the same". That is why assessment of the "general state of things in the country" becomes more and more positive: if in September 68.5% believed it was developing "in the wrong direction" and in December 55.7% thought so, then today 52.5% of respondents adhere to this opinion ("in the right direction" - 17%, 25.6% and 35.3% respectively).

As it has been already mentioned more than once, in spite of crises and "switching of the rating", protest potential in the Belarusian society remained virtually immutable for many years (approximately a fourth of the population), and lately it has been decreasing rather than growing. In September, e.g. 28.3% considered themselves to be in opposition to the present authorities, in December - 22.6%, and today - 23.4%. 5.3% of respondents are "definitely" ready to participate more actively in politics, 19.3% - "to some extent, yes", 33.8% - "more likely no", and 39.3% - "definitely no". When answering the question about their attitude to the fact that in January and February employees of some Belarusian enterprises withdrew from the official Trade Unions Federation and joined independent trade unions, 27.6% answered that "it was a right decision; only independent trade unions could protect the rights of the working people", 35.7% said "it accomplished nothing; independent trade unions could not protect the rights of the working people", and 17% said "it was a wrong decision; independent trade unions were a "fifth column", hostile agents of the foreign states". The largest part of respondents (32.4%) considers radio and the press addresses as well as appearances on television the most effective way of expressing one's opinion and influencing the authorities; 25.6% - political meetings and demonstrations, 18.9% - strikes, 6.4% - pickets. However, in reality only 4.1% of respondents personally wrote for the press or appeared on television, 16.2% participated in political meetings and demonstrations, 1.7% - in strikes, 2.3% - in pickets. If we compare the protest potential with the one of twenty years ago, the trend turns out to be obviously "decreasing": according to the data of the survey held in April 1992, 29.4% of respondents participated in meetings and 8.1% - in strikes. Elections still remain the most real means of expressing one's opinion and influencing the authorities. Only 10.6% treat the idea of a boycott of the forthcoming autumn parliamentary election positively (in June 2004 - 9.9%); however, readiness to vote for A. Lukashenko's supporters has appreciably decreased: if in June 2008 39.6% were ready to vote for them, then today - only 30% (for his opponents - 17.7% and 23.1% respectively). An alternative as represented by the opposition still remains "beyond the horizon" for the absolute majority of voters: 17% trust the opposition political parties, 61.3% do not trust them (in December - 13.4% vs. 61.6%, in September - 12.3% vs. 60%); ratings of the most well-known opposition leaders do not exceed 6-7% (V. Neklyaev - 6.8%, A. Sannikov - 6.1%; in September - 8.8% and 6.2%, and in December 2010 - 6.9% and 3.2% respectively). Recently the quantitative and qualitative composition of opposition public actions has been only an empirical expression of the above mentioned deep processes. A demand for a "third force" is becoming a relatively new phenomenon: answering the question "If, in your opinion, the state of things in our country is developing in general in the wrong direction, who must return the country to the right course?" the largest part of respondents (26.1%) answered "progressively thinking representatives of the society, connected neither with the government authorities, nor with the opposition". 11.8% thought that "president A. Lukashenko himself had to change his policy", 8.2% - "progressively thinking representatives of the present leadership (working in the bodies of state administration)", 4.2% - "representatives of the Belarusian opposition", and half of respondents found it difficult to answer.

On the other hand, stabilization of the "economic feeling" and the president's rating that is being observed against the modest protest potential does not mean that everything is "resuming its normal course" after the crisis. Our opinion polls have already shown that Belarusians worry more and more about the unfair regard for the people and even about lawlessness on the part of the authorities. It has been already reported in the Institute's press releases that the number of people offended by the authorities has grown from a fourth to a third for the last several years; that over 21% of respondents have been subject to illegal violence on the part of the law-enforcement agencies, that in the opinion of people the president relies more on security agencies than on ordinary people and so on. Today more people feel unprotected from the possible arbitrary rule on the part of the authorities, militia, the State Traffic Patrol Department (STPD), the internal revenue service, law courts and other government institutions than protected from them (51.1% vs. 45.5%). When answering an open-end question "Who, in your opinion, most of all breaches human rights in Belarus?" most respondents (35%) said "the authorities (the president, state officials, local government bodies, etc.)" and "law-enforcement agencies (militia, KGB, STPD, law courts, the public prosecutor's office and other)" - 11.3% (for reference: "employers" - 4.2%, "crime" - 0.7%). Answering the question "If the state infringes upon your rights, where will you turn to for help, in the first place?" the largest number of respondents (27.2%) still say "it is no use defending oneself, the state is going to win anyway" (for reference: "to the law-enforcement agencies (militia, the public prosecutor's office, a law court)" - 20.4%, "to the presidential administration" - 10.8%). If the question "To what extent, in your opinion, do citizens of Belarus fulfill their obligations owed to the state (observe the laws, pay taxes and so on)?" was answered in the affirmative by 68.1% of respondents (in the negative - by 7.6%), then the ratio of answers to the question "To what extent, in your opinion, does the state fulfills its obligations owed to the citizens of Belarus?" made up 32.5% vs. 35%. Negative experience in communicating with the authorities inevitably "pushes out" into the sphere of politics even those who are far away from them. Thus answering the question "Western countries are trying to make Belarusian authorities release the people convicted for participation in manifestations after the election of 2010. Various opinions are expressed on this subject. Which of them do you agree with?" the majority of respondents (44.5%) said "these people are not guilty of anything, they should be released regardless of the wishes of the West" (21.4% said "these people are guilty and let them serve their terms of imprisonment; we should not yield to the pressure of other countries", and 17.8% - "these people are guilty, however they should be released in order to improve our relations with the West"). The number of Belarusians who agree that the death penalty should be abolished in the country has grown to 49.7% from 36.8% in December 2009 (the number of those who are against its abolition has decreased from 54.6% to 40.8% respectively). Today there are twice as many people who think it is necessary to introduce the post of Ombudsman for Human Rights than of those who adhere to the opposite opinion: 56.3% vs. 28.5%.

Stabilization of the "economic feeling" also told upon the foreign-policy orientations of Belarusians. If in September of the previous year the number of people ready to choose integration with Russia at a hypothetical referendum almost coincided with the number of those who chose joining the European Union (41.5% vs. 42%), then today the ratio makes up 47% vs. 37.3%. Even people not interested in politics know thanks to whose help economic stabilization has ensued. However, the number of respondents who assessed positively extending of the EU and the USA sanctions against "more than 200 Belarusian state officials, judges and others headed by A. Lukashenko who are held responsible for breaching democracy and human rights", has appreciably grown during the year: from 17.5% in March of the previous year to 24% today. If we add to it the number of those who are indifferent to them (37%), it is doubtful whether the attempts of the authorities "to raise the people" against sanctions will succeed. Even the appeals of some politicians in Belarus and in the West not to hold the world hockey championship in 2014 if by that time human rights violations do not cease in the country, do not encounter mass censure: 13.3% treat them positively, and 37% - with indifference. It is also important to mention that intensification of pro-Russian sympathy includes in itself elements which are hardly going to please Belarusian authorities. For example, assessing the elections in Belarus and Russia, 19.3% of respondents considered them more honest in Russia (in Belarus - 13.6%, "the elections are equally dishonest in both countries" - 32.7%). When respondents were answering the question "In Belarus after the election of 2010 the authorities used force to disperse protest actions, and Russian authorities in 2011 did not use force against participants of such actions. How do you assess the actions of the authorities in the RB and in the RF?" the answers of Belarusians also spread obviously in favor of Russia: almost 40% said "Russian authorities did the right thing, and Belarusian authorities did not", and only 12% - "Belarusian authorities did the right thing, and Russian authorities did not". At the same time, when the matter concerns one's "hard-earned" things, sympathy towards Russia yields to one's own economic interests: 15.1% treat positively the fact that last year Belarus sold the gas-transport system "Beltransgaz" to Russia, and 53.5% - negatively (20.4% - wit indifference); the idea of Belarus transition to the Russian ruble - 29.5% vs. 41.7% (19.1% - with indifference) respectively. In general, it is too early to talk about a "fall of the borders" in foreign-policy orientations of Belarusians. When answering the question "If you were offered an opportunity to work abroad, what would you do?" 39.3% of respondents answered "I would accept such an offer" (the number is also confirmed by the following: the question "Have you or your relatives gone abroad to earn money for the last five years?" was answered in the affirmative by 37.1% of respondents), and 49.4% would refuse. Twenty years ago (in April 1992) the ratio of answers to the same question was 63.3% vs. 13.4%.