MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. About 30% of Russian respondents who took part in a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) support the idea of the immediate reburial of Vladimir Lenin's body. Another third of those polled are in favor of leaving his remains in the Mausoleum, and slightly fewer respondents suggest leaving the decision up to future generations, according to the survey results published on the center's website.
"The question about the fate of Vladimir Lenin's body has divided Russians into three roughly equal groups: 33% of citizens believe that he should be left in the Mausoleum (plus 4% since 2011 - TASS), 30% believe that he should be reburied in a cemetery as soon as possible (down 13 percentage points since 2011), and 27% believe that he should be buried when the generation of those who still care about him is gone (plus 9 percentage points since 2011)," the report said.
According to the survey, 55% of Russians said that the decision on the further stay of Lenin's body in the Mausoleum should not be rushed, while another 32% said that "it is better to make a decision in the very near future."
According to VCIOM, the vast majority of Russians (88%) could easily describe Lenin in two or three words. As many as 36% of respondents expressed the opinion that Lenin did more good than bad for Russia, another 30% believe that he brought equal amounts of benefit and harm, and 19% said that Lenin brought more harm.
"According to the latest VCIOM poll, Lenin, after four decades of exposure and vilification, has retained not only almost absolute popularity but also a predominantly positive image for himself. There are three dominant characteristics, and each of them is purely positive: the leader of the revolution, the leader of the proletariat, and the creator of the Soviet state. <...> The most dangerous thing for Lenin today is not accusations and revelations, but indifference. It is indifference that is the most common attitude towards Lenin among people younger than 44," VCIOM Director General Valery Fedorov commented on the results of the survey.
The Russia-wide telephone poll, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Lenin's death (April 22, 1870 - January 21, 1924), was conducted on December 30, 2023, and January 17, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians over the age of 18 took part in the poll. The margin of sampling error does not exceed 2.5% with a 95% probability.