62,3% of Ufa citizens expect improvement in social-economic situation in Bashkortostan with Rustem Khamitov’s rise to power

The press-conference “New President: confidence and expectations”, where the results of the public opinion poll, conducted by the company “May Market” in Ufa in August 2010, were introduced, has taken place in the capital RB. The poll was conducted with the help of the interviewing by phone. 400 citizens of Ufa at the age between 18 and 65 were interrogated. The director of the company Munir Minibaev introduced the results of the investigation.

“On the eve of the change of power 56% of the interrogated estimated the social-economic situation in the Republic as satisfactory and 31% - as good. The results of Murtaza Rakhimov’s activity as the President RB also mainly coincide with the official ones: 15,6% of the interrogated put him “five”, 40% - “four” and 34,1% - “three”. The average mark turned out to be 3,48 and it was considered as rather high index.

The estimation of the level of trust to the new President is the following:

According to the results of the poll 54% of Ufa citizens don’t know, who was the new President of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov before his appointment, nonetheless 52% or more than a half of the Republican population say they give credence to the new President, 14% of the interrogated don’t trust him and 34% failed to give a precise answer.

In opinion of the investigators so high index of confidence is formed first of all from the confidence in the choice of the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, who offered the candidature of Rustem Khamitov to the post of President RB, and, second, from the high hopes of the citizens RB in connection with the arrival of the new President, so it is more reasonable to apply the term “the rate of expectations” instead of “the rate of confidence” here.

As for the question concerning the management succession, the opinions are the following: just 1,8% of Ufa citizens hope the new President will precisely follow the policy of Murtaza Rakhimov, 10,3% of the interrogated believe he will mainly follow the policy of the ex-President RB, 37,8% say yes to the opinion the new President will step-by-step change the existing political course and the major share – 41,3% - hope Rustem Khamitov will conduct absolutely new policy.

The main problems, which in opinion of the interrogated Rustem Khamitov should pay attention to first of all are: the level of wages, unemployment and population employment, the housing problem and housing availability. Social protection of children and problems of children’s institutions (5,4%), youth problems (5,2%), education (5,2%), medicine and health care (5%) and corruption (4,7%) stand among ten most significant problems the President RB should focus himself on. The problems of small business development, development of industry and law-enforcement bodies, national policy and reformation of the state machinery are included into the Top 20 of the most actual problems for the citizens of Ufa.