MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. More than half Russians (60%) don’t support adoptions of children by foreigners, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) that was released on Wednesday.

About 32% are proponents of such adoptions as that’s a chance to be part of a family, the poll showed.

"More than half of Russians today support the idea that children should stay in Russia, even if they have to be brought up in orphanages (60%). The opposite point of view is held by 32%: In their opinion, children can be given up for adoption to foreign citizens, as this is a chance to be part of a family," the pollster said.

According to the survey, young people aged 18-24 (76%) are more in favor of international adoption, while people aged 60 years and older generally don’t like the idea (81%). The group of people aged 25-34 is divided almost in half as 45% of them support and 48% oppose the notion.

A law passed in 2012 banned the adoption of Russian children by citizens of some Western countries, including the United States. According to VTsIOM, about 54% of respondents were in favor of the law in 2013, while 21% were against it. In 2022, 67% of citizens expressed support for the law, and about 27% don’t approve it.

A new bill that seeks to prohibit adoptions of orphans from Russia for citizens of unfriendly countries, which is being considered by the State Duma, drew support from 63% of respondents, while 21% spoke against it, according to VTsIOM. The main argument of the bill’s supporters is that Russian children should remain in their own country (25%), another 13% said Russian children are mistreated and bullied abroad. About 12% believe that Russian adoptive parents should have priority, and 7% of respondents are concerned about the non-traditional values of the West and their impact on children.

The poll was conducted across the country on August 9. The sample size was 1,600 respondents aged 18 years and older, and the margin of error doesn’t exceed 2.5%, with a probability of 95%.