MOSCOW, May 14. /ITAR-TASS/. Three-fourths of Russian citizens are following the developments in Ukraine and consider coverage by the Russian media highly objective, according to a poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM) made public on Wednesday.
The poll shows that 77% of Russians follow in developments in Ukraine, with 30% of respondents constantly following the events in the neighboring state and another 47% of the respondents paying attention to the situation in Ukraine from time to time.
“The latest data also show that the number of people taking no interest in the Ukraine situation grew from 15% in March to 22% in April,” WCIOM said.
Most Russians are receiving information on Ukraine from Russian TV channels (94%) while 31% of the respondents are learning about the Ukraine developments from the Internet, 18% from the printed media and 13% from radio, the poll shows.
“Some respondents are learning about the events from their friends and relatives either living in Ukraine (6%) or not living there (8%). The least popular information sources for Russians are various foreign (2%) and directly Ukrainian (1%) media sources,” WCIOM said.
The media objectivity index reflecting the perception of Russian media objectivity shows strong confidence of the respondents watching the Ukraine developments. The index measured 69 points on a 90-point scale. The strongest confidence in the media is demonstrated by Russian TV viewers.
“The highest prejudice towards information on the Ukraine developments supplied by the Russian media is showed by the respondents receiving information from the Ukrainian media sources,” WCIOM said.
The poll was conducted on April 26-27 and covered 1,600 respondents in 130 populated areas in 42 Russian regions, with a margin of error of 3.4%.