Russians believe the situation in Syria is the inner problem of this country and oppose international military operation. More than one-third of respondents believe that in case western countries intervene in the situation, Russia should support Syria.
MOSCOW, September 11, 2013. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data concerning how Russians assess the situation in Syria; what they think about the international military operation; and what Russia should do in case the operation takes place.
According to half of respondents, other countries should not intervene in the situation in Syria (50%). Those who think so are mainly residents of Moscow and St.Petersburg (54%). Thirty-six percent of Russians say that the international community should influence the situation; they are basically residents of middle cities (39%) and rural area residents (40%).
Three-thirds of Russians (77%) report they would not support the military operation; to compare: two years ago during the conflict in Libya the share of Russians who opposed the military operation was 64%. They are mainly residents of Moscow and St.Petersburg and million-cities (86-87%). Only 11% of respondents say they would approve of this action.
If military operation against Syria is accepted, Russia should not intervene in the situation, as most of Russians report (43%). The remainder advise supporting Syria with armament (23%)
The VCIOM opinion polls were conducted on August 31- September 1, 2013. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 communities in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
Do you follow the news about the situation in Syria? (closed-ended question, one answer)
| ||
| July 2012 | August 2013 |
I follow the situation regularly and attentively | 8 | 20 |
From time to time; but I do not follow the situation regularly | 37 | 49 |
I am not interested in what happens in Syria | 52 | 30 |
Hard to tell | 3 | 2 |
Which of the following statements is closer to yours? (closed-ended question, one answer)
| ||
| July 2012 | August 2013 |
Other countries should not intervene in the conflict in Syria because it is Syria`s inner problem and its citizens should solve it themselves | 46 | 50 |
International community should intervene in the situation and stop riots and bloodshed in Syria | 31 | 36 |
Hard to tell | 23 | 15 |
Western countries may launch the international military operation in Syria. Will you support or oppose this action? (closed-ended question, one answer)
| ||
| March 2011 (survey on situation in Libya) | August 2013 |
Rather support | 20 | 11 |
Rather oppose | 64 | 77 |
Hard to tell | 16 | 11 |
In your opinion, what Russia should do in this case? (closed-ended question, one answer) | |
Support Syria with armaments but not to intervene in military actions | 23 |
Intervene in conflict providing Syria with military aid | 13 |
Intervene in conflict providing support to western countries | 4 |
Russians should not do anything | 43 |
Hard to tell | 17 |
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!