MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Almost 79% of Russians polled believe the country has significant clout globally, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) said in releasing the findings of the poll, which surveyed 1,600 adult residents of Russia on March 29.
"As a whole, eight out of ten respondents (79%) view the country as being influential on the international stage," the pollsters said.
According to the survey, 87% of those polled said that Russia’s influence peaked in 2017, while in 2008 its influence was the lowest (58%). One in seven respondents believes that Russia has little or no influence around the world (14%).
"Regardless of their age (77-83%), level of education (73-79%), or where they live (76-82%), respondents pointed to a very large, that is, immense influence of our country in international affairs. The main differentiating factor is how [respondents] self-assessed their financial situation: the higher it was, the more the respondent was likely to say that Russia has significant influence in the world," the pollsters said.
They added that 41% of Russians polled said that Russia should strive to become a top ten power in the world this century. Another 37% of respondents think the country should set its sights on being a superpower again, a la the USSR.