When asked whether Russia needs nuclear weapons or not, 83% of the respondents picked "rather yes," 11% answered "rather not," while 6% were unsure. 88% of those advocating nuclear weapons are aged over 60.
The majority of those who insist that Russia needs nuclear weapons consider them to be needed for protecting the country, while 12% see it as a deterrence factor. A negative attitude towards Russia in the West was named as a reason for keeping the nuclear arsenal by 11%, and 9% and 7% assess the weapons as a safeguard of peace and citizens’ safety respectively.
Among the reasons against possessing nuclear capacities 28% choose the uselessness of the weapons, 22% of the surveyed say they threaten the humanity, 20% advocate universal peace, 7% refer to high costs of maintaining the nuclear arsenal, 6% call on peaceful resolution of all problems, and 6% say Russia has no enemy to fight with.
The poll was conducted on 4 September, covering 1,600 citizens aged over 18. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5%.