BESLAN TRAGEDY: PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES
The survey revealed a high degree of tension in society, and in consequence – a readiness of a substantial part of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia to participate in anti-government actions.
Thus, in response to a question about whether the respondents are willing to participate in anti-government actions in the case of an increase in their dissatisfaction with authority, the answers were distributed as follows: "yes" - 21% (14 women and 28 men), "probably yes" - 14% (10+18); "probably no" - 25% (32+18); "no" - 28% (26+30); "don't know" - 12% (18+6).
The main sources of information about current events for the majority of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia is television - 87 % of those questioned, which according to the results of previous studies is characteristic for the overwhelming majority of the regions of the North Caucasus. Moreover, the respondents simultaneously view several channels – ORT, RTR, NTV, Ren-TV, less frequently - TNT, STS, Kultura, TVC. The greatest number of viewers among the television channels watch NTV and ORT - 56%. 48% of respondents give preference to RTR They are followed by Ren-TV - 9%, TVC 6%, TNT 5%, EuroNews 5%, STS 2%, "Kultura" 1%.. And 2% of respondents said that they obtained information from all channels. NTV enjoys the greatest degree of trust - 44% of respondents, followed by ORT - 34%, RTR - 27%, Ren-TV 8%, TVC 4%, TNT 2%, "Kultura" 1%. It is noteworthy that the European television channel EuroNews is trusted by all those who watch it - 5%.
As the survey showed, print media are a secondary information source for the residents of KChR - 47% of those questioned. The first place on the scale of popularity is shared by Rossiyskaya gazeta, the newspaper Izvestiya and Argumenty i fakty - 12% of those questioned. Komsomolskaya pravda was preferred by 9% of respondents. One percent took Moskovskie vedomosti, Novaya gazeta, Ekonomika i zhizn, Kommersant and Newsweek. 27% of respondents obtain their orientation only from local newspapers, among which Den respubliki is in most demand. Of the national newspapers the most trusted are Izvestiya - 12% of respondents, Argumenty i fakty - 10%, Rossiyskaya gazeta - 7%, Komsomolskaya pravda - 4%, and Novaya gazeta, Kommersant, and Newsweek – at 1%.
In comparison with other regions of the North Caucasus, an extremely low percentage of the population of Karachayevo-Cherkesia places much value in radio and the Internet as primary sources of information. Thus, only 7% of respondents learn about current events through radio stations and only 2% of those questioned use the information services of the Internet. Moreover, the information sources are in both cases very limited. In the case of the Internet - they are the news resources of the Russian search systems yandex.ru and rambler.ru, while radio is represented by "Mayak", "Rossiya" and "Russkiy radio". The degree of trust in the above-mentioned radio stations and Internet resources is not very great, and and comprises only 4%.
Note: This survey was conducted within the framework of a 12- month study project called "Public Opinion in the North Caucasus", which is being carried out in all the North-Caucasian republics with the financial support of the American foundation NED. The distribution of replies to the questions of the survey is given in percentages. Statistical error in surveys of this kind is within the range of 7 %. Two versions of a reply were allowed for some of the questions. Participants in the survey were mainly representatives of the intelligentsia, students, employees, workers and pensioners - members of the different ethnic groups that constitute the population of Karachay-Cherkessia (Abazins, Karachays, Nogays, Russians, Circassians).