RUSSIANS FOR PUBLIC REGULATION OF MOTOR FUEL PRICES

MOSCOW, March 24 (RIA Novosti) - Paradoxically as it may seem, with the continually growing prices of oil on the world markets, in Russia, one of the biggest suppliers of hydrocarbon raw materials, gasoline prices go on rising, too. However often officials promise to quash the appetite of sellers of fuel, its price is going up and up. Meanwhile, the sweeping majority of the Russians (87 percent) think that the state is to regulate the prices of gasoline and diesel oil.

This is seen from the figures circulated on Thursday by the independent holding Russian Public Opinion and Market Research (ROMIR Monitoring). They come from the representative national poll of 1,500 residents of Russia carried out in March in over 100 municipal and rural populated places.

Ten percent of them say they don't care. One percent say the state should not meddle in.

Residents of cities of over one million people less than those of small and medium towns insist on the public regulation of motor fuel prices - 81 and 88 percent, respectively.

Noteworthily, 91 percent of respondents with a high level of income say that the state should regulate gasoline prices. Eighty six percent of respondents in the low-income bracket agree.