A hero of our time is someone who is honest, decent and fair-minded. At the professional level, this could be a doctor, an EMEROCM rescuer or a military man who has served in hot spots.
MOSCOW, December 6, 2019. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the data of a survey devoted to Heroes of the Fatherland Day.
According to Russians, the expression “heroes of our time” refers to “people who accomplished a feat, did something good for Russia and its people” (13%). These words are also associated with “people who take care of and want to help others” (9%); people who are honest, decent and fair-minded (8%); people who protect Russia such as army, EMERCOM officers, war veterans, policemen and firemen (8%), as well as Russian patriots (8%). One-third of respondents remained undecided (31%).
A typical “hero of our time” is, first of all, honest, decent, fair and responsible (36%); he/she is kind, humane (19%), active and communicative (18%), courageous and fearless (13%), unselfish and not indifferent (10%).
Every second Russian considers doctors (49%) and EMERCOM rescues (47%), i.e. those who save lives, to be heroes of our time. Thirty-one percent of respondents point to military officers who serve in hotspots. Respondents also mention teachers whose pupils achieved success (27%), policemen who risk their lives (22%) and volunteers who voluntarily offer their assistance (21%) among modern heroes.
Russian VCIOM-Sputnik public opinion survey was conducted on December 4, 2019. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,600 Russians aged 18 and older. A stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of Russian landline and mobile phone numbers is used. The data were weighted according to selection probability and social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
There is the expression “hero of our time”. In your opinion, what does it mean? (open-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of total respondents; answers of at least 2% of respondents) | |
| Total respondents |
People who accomplished a feat / who brought benefit / who did something good to Russia, its people | 13 |
People who take care of / who want to help others / who will help you in difficult situations | 9 |
Honest / trustworthy / fair-minded / responsible persons | 8 |
Defenders of the motherland / army, Emercom, police, war veterans, firemen | 8 |
Russian patriots / people who work for the good of Russia and its people / love for Motherland | 8 |
People who saved lives of other people | 7 |
People who are not indifferent / who are responsive / attentive / who think not only of themselves | 6 |
Active / easy-going / initiative / single-minded / educated people | 5 |
Famous / respectful / decent person | 5 |
Professional / someone who is all business / heroes of labor | 3 |
People who can sacrifice themselves / give their life for others | 3 |
Person typical of an epoch / every epoch has its heroes/ ordinary person | 3 |
Kind / good / humane / polite / open people | 3 |
People to look up to / people to follow | 3 |
No heroes / none | 1 |
Other | 5 |
Don’t know | 31 |
Every epoch has its own heroes. Could you describe a hero of our time? Please, name the basic qualities and traits? (open-ended question, up to 5 answers, % of total respondents; answers of at least 2% of respondents) | |
| Total respondents |
Honest / trustworthy / fair-minded / responsible persons | 36 |
Kind / good / humane / polite / open people | 19 |
Active / easy-going / initiative / single-minded / educated people | 18 |
Brave / courageous / fearless people / strong character | 13 |
Not indifferent / responsive / attentive people / who think not only of themselves | 10 |
People who take care of / who want to help others / who will help you in difficult situations | 10 |
Russian patriots / people who work for the good of Russia and its people / love for Motherland | 9 |
Hard-working people / who work a lot | 7 |
Professional / someone who is all business / heroes of labor | 6 |
Self-giving people / who are always ready to help | 4 |
People who can sacrifice themselves / give their life for others | 3 |
Self-confident / well-balanced person | 3 |
No heroes / none | 1 |
Other | 5 |
Don’t know | 31 |
I will read you a list of options. Who exactly do you call a hero or our time? (closed-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of total respondents) | |
| Total respondents |
Doctor who cures or saves people | 49 |
EMERCOM employee who rescues people | 47 |
Military man serving in hot spots | 31 |
Teacher whose pupils achieved success | 27 |
Policeman who risks his life to neutralize a criminal | 22 |
Volunteer who voluntarily offers his/her help and support to those in need | 21 |
Politicians who fights against social injustice | 15 |
Scientists who made good contributions to science | 13 |
Entrepreneur who expands his/her business to create new jobs | 12 |
Entrepreneur who invests his own capital into social programs, charity | 11 |
Director, writer, journalist who openly discusses social problems | 7 |
Athlete who achieved excellent results | 3 |
All the above-mentioned | 3 |
None of the above-mentioned | 1 |
Other | 2 |
Don’t know | 2 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory.