MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. A total of 81.6% of respondents to a recent poll conducted by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) said they planned to cast their ballots in the forthcoming presidential election scheduled for March 18.
"The declared level of civic participation in the polls remains persistently high," reads the survey, obtained by TASS. "As of late February 2018, it stands at 81.6%"
The previous survey, held on February 12-18, puts the figure at 81.1%
A total of 6.5% of Russians do not intend to vote in the presidential election, while another 10.6% are unsure whether they will go out and vote.
"The number of Russians, declaring their readiness to cast their ballot, has been on the rise for the fourth consecutive week. Despite the declarative nature of this intention, the figures indicate that Russians are becoming more and more interested in the election," said Mikhail Mamonov, who heads the pollster’s Political Analysis and Consulting Department.
The nationwide telephone poll, involving 7,000 people over the age of 18, was conducted on February 19-22 and 24-26. The margin of error does not exceed 1.2% at the 95% confidence level.