MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – The majority of Russians believe their country is developed, rich and free, according to a survey published by a state-run pollster Wednesday.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents told the Public Opinion Foundation that their country is developed, 58 percent described it as rich and 60 percent said they live in a free country.
Fifty-one percent believe Russia is considered a free state by the rest of the world, and 50 percent of respondents said the country's image abroad is largely positive.
“For the first time in 15 years, the proportion of respondents who believe that Russia is ‘independent in its decisions and actions, and does not depend on leading Western powers’ is bigger [52 percent] than the number of those who think otherwise [32 percent],” the pollster said.
The survey was conducted in early February among 1,500 respondents from 100 cities and towns in 43 Russian regions. The margin of error is less than 3.6 percent.
