Today the Russian Public Opinion Research Center published a report on the
November survey of 1,600 Russians about their attitude towards Georgia. The
survey consisted of a table in which one had to choose five statements
about Georgia, which are the most and least suited to this country , and
the table of values that are most important for Georgians.
According to the survey, most Russians recognize Georgian cultural
achievement (37%) and say that Georgia belongs to the same cultural space
(29%), but consider Georgia unfriendly towards Russia (32%). At the same
time, Russian citizens denied that their Georgian neighbor had power efficiency
(39%), a good life for ordinary citizens (38%), the growth of the country's
role in the world (35%) and the rapid development of the economy (33%).
These seven points took the top and bottom lines of the table according to
the Russians about Georgia.
The remaining six positions, due to the specificity of the survey, when the
same items can be identified as characteristic and uncharacteristic, leave
freedom to interpret the true attitude of Russians to Georgians. For
example, 28 % agreed and 7% did not agree that Georgia is a country of
contrasts, in which ordinary people's poverty coexists with the luxury of
the rich. The importance of freedom and democracy to the detriment of a
strong government for Georgians was mentioned by 26% of respondents, while
14% neglected it. The quality of Georgian goods that recently returned to
Russian stores was welcomed by 22% and negatively evaluated by 30%. 21 %
voted both for and against the statement that Georgia is a country of
crime, drunkenness and corruption.
According to the second table, Russians believe that Georgians adhere to
traditions (63%), value family relationships (53%) and pride (35%).
According to Leocadia Drobizheva, research director of the Center of
International Relations of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of
Sciences, the questions in the survey were not always correctly posed. "On
the one hand , the Russians were asked about their attitudes toward the
country, and on the other hand, in the same questionnaire, about the
attitude of the people - but these are two completely different things,
they are very weakly correlated, that is historically proven".
"So we always distinguish between attitudes towards people and
relationships to country. The latter changes depending on diplomatic
contacts and evaluations of public figures. The attitudes to the people of
this or that nationality are based on cultural and historical factors. And
this survey does not allow to make a true picture of the Russian attitudes
to Georgia and Georgians , precisely because these questions are mixed , "
said Leocadia Drobizheva .
