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One in five Russians wants children or grandkids to become intelligence officers — poll

The survey’s results indicate that Russians think highly of this profession

MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. About 20% of Russians surveyed have said they would like their children or grandchildren to embrace the profession of an intelligence officer, a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center has shown.

Military Intelligence Officers’ Day established by presidential decree on May 31, 2006, is celebrated by the Russian armed forces on November 5.

The survey’s results indicate that Russians think highly of the profession. They rated the respect enjoyed by people in that occupation at 4.32 points out of 5 possible, the profitability and wage levels at 4.10 points and influence at 4.02 points.

The respondents named Richard Sorge (15%), Maxim Isayev (8%) and Nikolai Kuznetsov (5%) among the best-known intelligence officers. Russian President Vladimir Putin ranked fourth (named by 4% of the those polled). Russians also recalled Anna Chapman (1%) and Sergei Skripal (1%). About 69% of those polled could not recall a single intelligence officer.

The survey was conducted on October 31, 2019, with 1,600 Russians aged over 18 interviewed over the phone. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5% with a probability of 95%.