MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. More Russians have begun donating blood in recent years, while 47% of those polled had given blood in 2017, says a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center.

"The number of Russians giving blood has surged in recent years. If in 2015 the figure was 39%, in 2017 we already see it at 47%. Among them, 12% gave blood once, 15% several times and 20% more than three times," says the survey posted on the pollster’s website on Saturday.

Russian blood donors are mostly driven by compassion to all people (56% of the respondents) or by determination to help a particular person (39%). Only one in ten donors (8%) has given blood just for money.

The once front and center fear of being infected while giving blood (57% of the polled in 2008) is fading and in 2017 just one in five Russians has had such fears.

The pollster noted that Russians felt that there were less shortages of donated blood supplies at present. According to the data, 76% said in 2008 that blood supplies were insufficient compared to 57% in 2017.

Most of the interviewees (81%) are determined to become donors and plan to give blood at events organized at their workplaces, colleges or universities.

The Russian pollster conducted a nationwide phone poll of 1,800 people on December 4-6. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5% at the 95% confidence level.