MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - Almost half of Russians say they expect mass protests over falling standards of living, and over one third are ready to take to the streets, a pollster said Wednesday.
The All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Study (VTsIOM) said 45% of people aged 18-24 and 53% of those over 60 predicted a rise in discontent, and 49% of respondents said they had medium or low income.
The poll showed pensioners as particularly proactive. As many as 39% of those older than 60 said they were ready to take part in protests, against the figure for the 18-24 bracket of only 28%.
The survey's results show discontent has increased to the levels of last March, following a decline last fall.
The poll was carried out March 11-12 in 153 cities and towns in 46 regions across Russia. Pollsters questioned 1,599 respondents, and the survey has an error margin of 3.4%.
