Russians tell pollsters that they want reforms, but they still love Putin

According to a new national survey by the Levada Center, Russians say Vladimir Putin’s greatest successes in his third presidential term were “returning the country to the status of a great power” (47 percent of respondents) and “stabilizing the situation in the North Caucasus” (38 percent). Russians were less thrilled about Putin’s ability to ensure income equality (45 percent of respondents say he failed here), and nearly a third of the poll’s respondents said Putin failed to raise wages, pensions, stipends, and social benefits. Three years earlier, only 15 percent of Russians said the president didn't keep his word on this issue.

According to a new survey by the state-run pollster VTsIOM, almost 90 percent of Russians say the country needs at least some degree of transformation. More than half of respondents (59 percent) told VTsIOM that Russia needs big changes, while another 30 percent said the country needs changes in some spheres. Just two percent of those polled said Russia doesn’t need any reforms. Meanwhile, 82 percent of respondents said they approve of Vladimir Putin’s job performance as president.