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Nation-wide home interviews conducted June 5-6 2004 in 100 residencies in 44 regions. A sample size of 1500 respondents. The margin of error does not exceed 3,6%.
As the latest polling findings demonstrate, the public is far from satisfied with the way the traffic police (GIBDD) handle their job: only 10% rated their work as good, while three times as many (34%) see it as bad. About one-third of those surveyed (32%) are satisfied with GIBDD's performance, but this satisfaction rather leans toward mediocre estimations. More like than average to be dissatisfied with the work of the traffic police are middle-aged people, university graduates, Muscovites and residents of Russian megapolises.
On the whole, the majority of Russians still cannot afford to buy a car: two-thirds of those interviewed (65%) reported that their families don't have one. Non-owners, of course, are more likely to belong to such social groups as elderly and low-educated people, and those with a below-average monthly income. The overwhelming majority of car owners (28% in the sample) have Russian-made cards, while only 6% have foreign cars. In two Russian border areas – the Northwestern and Far Eastern – people are more likely to buy foreign cars (15% in each region). This is quite natural, as buying a foreign car in these areas is much simpler, and they are cheaper than domestic models.
Compared with the last poll on cars conducted in spring 2002, the number of people saying they don't have a car dropped by 3 points. This difference is, however, within the margin of error, and can't be regarded as evidence of a growing number of car-owners.
Question: Does your family have a Russian or a foreign car?
| |
Feb. 1995 |
March 2002 |
June 2004 |
|
No |
68 |
68 |
65 |
|
Russian |
27 |
26 |
28 |
|
Foreign |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Hard to answer |
2 |
1 |
1 |
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Not all members of a family owning a car actually drive it. These constitute 28% of the sample, with 11% driving rarely, and 17% often doing so. Russian drivers are basically men (50% against 28% in the sample), middle-aged people, and university graduates (34% and 37, respectively).
Casual drivers were asked "Do you ever break traffic rules? If so, do you do so often, or seldom?" 8% of those interviewed (or slightly over one-quarter of those who were asked the question) claim to have never broken traffic rules. 17% have done so seldom (around two-thirds of all responses), and only 2% (or 9% of drivers' responses) admit to having broken the rules often. Interestingly, the most law-abiding drivers are found among university graduates and supporters of KPRF and Rodina. The greatest number of «demon drivers» were found in the Northwestern Federal District.
According to poll statistics, the more often a person drives, the more he is likely to break the traffic rules. For example, 39% of irregular drivers claim to never break the rules, while over half (56%) do so seldom, and only 3% break the rules quite often. Among regular drivers, traffic rules are broken by 12% of those surveyed, two-thirds (64%) do it from time to time, and only 22% drive their cars properly.
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Total |
Do you drive a car? If so, do you drive it often or seldom? |
|
I don't break the rule |
I often break the rule |
I sometimes break the rules |
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Do you ever break traffic rules? If so, do you do so often, or seldom? |
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Never |
8 |
0 |
22 |
39 |
|
Often |
2 |
0 |
12 |
3 |
|
Seldom |
17 |
0 |
64 |
56 |
|
Hard to answer |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
|
No response |
72 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
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Car-owners who drive, certainly, are more likely than other citizens to deal with traffic policemen. According to poll statistics, among those who own a Russian-made car, 53% have dealt with traffic officers, while among foreign car-owners, the number reaches 46%.
Poll findings show that the more people drive, the more likely they are to have a favorable impression of traffic officers. It would be natural to suggest that the impressions of the traffic police among those who don't have a car is basically formed under the influence of «external» sources (i.e. stories of relatives and friends, the news, and so on) and are in many ways stereotyped. Those drivers who have to deal with traffic police report various impressions formed by personal experience. A poll conducted among drivers revealed that 8% have a favorable impression, and 16% an unfavorable impression of the traffic police, with 74% never having dealt with the traffic police in the past year. Among those who never drive a car, the ratio of favorable and unfavorable impressions is about 1:3 (3% vs. 8%); among casual drivers, it is 1:2.2 (12% vs. 26%), and 1:1.7 (25% vs. 42%) among regular ones.
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Total |
Do you drive a car? If so, do you drive it often or seldom? |
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No |
Often |
Seldom |
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Have you dealt with the traffic police over the past year? If you have, was your experience positive or negative? |
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I haven't |
74 |
86 |
29 |
61 |
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Positive |
8 |
3 |
25 |
12 |
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Negative |
16 |
8 |
42 |
26 |
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Hard to answer |
2 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
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Thus, although in both groups of interviewed drivers (regular and irregular ones) positive and negative impressions of the traffic police are more likely to be encountered than in the sample's average, their ratio differs insignificantly, and in favor of the traffic police. This allows us to suggest that the perception of the traffic police in Russia is, in fact, more unfavorable than in reality.
Even so, despite these distinctions, positive estimations of the traffic police are encountered half as often as favorable ones. This is clearly seen from responses to the open-ended question (Question: "Why did dealing with traffic police officers produce positive/negative impression on you?" (the question was asked only of those who had to deal with GIBDD officers over the past year).).
About one-third of responses to the question (5% in the sample average) refer to bribery and extortion as major causes for negative attitudes towards traffic police officers:
- «Extortion for them is a way to earn money»; «they catch drivers to fine them off the book»; «they extort bribes from drivers» «I went to Saratov, and the police stopped me and started finding faults with our car - `If you don't give us money for beer, you won't leave'»
(open-ended question).
Some interviewees hate traffic police officers for their rudeness and arrogant treatment of drivers:
- "They are very impudent"; "rude, no respect "; "arrogant"; "rude manners"
(open-ended question, 4% in the sample average).
Some of those who had negative experiences in dealing with the traffic police refer to cases where policemen fined them without serious cause:
- "They find faults with you even if everything is in order "; "we often pay them for nothing"; "they fined me several times, although we didn't break any rules"; "they want to get money from you instead of helping"
(open-ended question, 4% in the sample's average) (These judgements are quoted from responses to two open-ended questions: 1) "Traffic police finds faults with us and fine unfairly"; 2) "I had collisions with traffic police offices, they treated me unfairly".).
Those reporting favorable experiences are considerably fewer in number, only 8%. 2% of these explain their positive attitude towards the police by the lack of negative experiences («they didn't find fault with me»; «they didn't keep me long»; «we talked and parted»).
Only a few (around 1%) report favorable attitudes towards the traffic police. In their words, the policemen they dealt with were polite and friendly:
- "A respectful attitude"; "they were polite to me"; "he was quite friendly to me "
(open-ended question).
All respondents were asked how they imagined the average traffic police officer. As it turned out, the number of negative responses is three times higher than positive ones (43% vs. 14%). This ratio may serve as even more sound evidence of the generally negative attitude towards the traffic police in Russia.
According to the poll, about three-quarters of those surveyed are aware of the recent arrest of top traffic police officers who were involved in the theft and sale of foreign cars. In light of current public attitudes towards the GIBDD, and considering people's dislike for the powers-that-be in general, it was predictable that the news wouldn't surprise most interviewees (69%). Only 25% said they were surprised by it. According to poll statistics, those least surprised by the arrest of these «werewolves in epaulettes» are representatives of resourceful social groups – middle aged people, those with a special secondary or university education, and residents of Moscow and other megapolises. Even among those who reported favorable experiences in dealing with the traffic police, three-quarters (75%) expressed no amazement at the arrests:
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Total |
Have you dealt with the traffic police over the past year? If you have, was your experience positive or negative? |
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No |
Positive |
Negative |
Hard to answer |
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Were you surprised to hear that traffic police officers were involved in the theft and sale of foreign cars? |
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Yes |
25 |
27 |
24 |
15 |
20 |
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No |
69 |
65 |
75 |
85 |
56 |
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Hard to answer |
6 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
24 |
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In conclusion, it can be said that the general attitude towards the traffic police in Russia is unfavorable. If it is easy for a driver to bribe a traffic policemen, then it is natural that most of those surveyed were not surprised to hear that top traffic officers had been involved in other shady dealings.
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