MOSCOW, July 26. /TASS/. The vast majority of Russians (79%) have friends, according to a poll published by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) on Wednesday.

"Today, most Russians (79%) have friends. The rate has not changed much in the past ten years as it was 80% in 2013," the pollster said. Another 16% of respondents said they had no friends, while that figure stood at 11% in 2013.

According to 67% of Russians, it is crucial that friends be loyal, reliable and devoted. Another 18% of those surveyed believe that a friend is someone you share common interests and views with. Seven percent of Russians think that it is important for a friendship to stand the test of time.

One in three Russians who have friends said that they had made new friends in the previous three years (36%, up from 29% in 2013), while 60% of those polled did not manage to make new friends during this period (compared to 64% in 2013). According to the poll results, 73% of Russians communicate with their friends every week (down from 78% in 2013), 18% connect with friends once or twice a month (compared to 16% in 2013) and another seven percent interact with their friends even less frequently.

The nationwide telephone poll involving 1,600 respondents over 18 years of age was conducted on July 22, 2023. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5% at a confidence level of 95%.