Survey in Kabardino-Balkaria: 58% of balkarians are ready to participate in protest actions

Responding to a question about the most burning problems in today’s Kabardino-Balkaria, overwhelming majority of respondents (81%) indicated social and economic problems keeping in mind unemployment and low salaries. 50% consider the most burning problem shortcomings of the authorities, in the first place corruption and lack of professionalism. 23% believe that security issue is the most important problem while 11% think that the most burning problem is interethnic relations. It should be noted that representatives of Balkarian population expressed the biggest concern about interethnic relations in the republic among those polled. 8% think that the major problem of Kabardino-Balkaria lies in confessional sphere. Only 2% reported difficulties while answering this question, which testifies to the fact that the local population have quite clear picture of all problems facing their republic.

It should be noticed that during the previous public opinion poll in Kabardino-Balkaria hold by Caucasus Times in January 2007 among the Balkarian population, social and economic problems were also indicated as the most crucial by overwhelming majority of respondents (89%) while 24% of respondents considered security the most important issue. At the same time, 22% of polled Balkarians mentioned interethnic relations as the most burning issue in their republic, which indicates that Balkarians are much more concerned about interethnic issues than population in general. The most recent Nalchik poll results from August 2007 proved this long-lasting tendency by revealing that Balkarians prevailed among those 11% respondents who mentioned interethnic relations as the most burning issue.

Opinion poll in Nazran: 38% said special services are guilty for a wave of killings and kidnappings in Ingushetia

PRAGUE, 6 November, Caucasus Times: On 15-20 October 2007 Information and Analytical Agency “Caucasus Times” hold public opinion poll among the residents of the capital of the Republic of Ingushetia Nazran. Major objectives of the research were to analyze the attitudes of the local population to the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Russia and their opinions about the most critical problems currently facing Ingushetia. Separate section of the questionnaire was devoted to media use and media preferences of the population. In total, 200 persons, mostly ethnic Ingushs of different age, sex and occupations have been polled.

Separate question aimed at clarifying whom the local population consider responsible for increased violence, killings and kidnappings in the republic has been asked. Responding to that question, considerable part of those polled indicated “special services” (38%) and “local authorities” (24%). At the same time, 16% of the respondents believe that federal authorities are responsible for increased wave of crimes in Ingushetia. 8% mentioned “Islamic extremists” and “Vakhkhabits” as the major forces that cause the violence in the republic. 14% found it difficult to answer this question. It should be mentioned that some of the respondents were quite nervous about this particular question and displayed reluctance to provide answer, which can testify to a quite widespread security concern and feelings of personal insecurity across the republic.