MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) – A fourth of Russia’s population regularly hands out money to beggars, especially if the needy are old or handicapped, according to a survey published Monday.
Twenty-four percent of respondents said they “often” provide such handouts. Twenty-nine percent said they give to the elderly, and 26 percent to the sick or crippled.
Most often, respondents to the state survey, conducted in 43 regions, said they don’t give because they think begging is a scam, it’s against their principles or because they don’t have money to spare.
Only 5 percent of respondents said they would give money to women begging with children, while just 1 percent would give to war veterans.
Thirty-nine percent said they’d never give money to someone who was obviously intoxicated, and 11 percent said they’d never give to a Gypsy.
The survey, conducted on November 3 by the state-run Public Opinion Foundation, included 1,500 respondents and had a statistical margin of error of 3.6 percent.
