75 Percent of Russians Support Russia’s Development Aid to the Poor, Says World Bank-Managed Nationwide Survey

PRESS RELEASE 7/9/11-WBRU

MOSCOW, September 7, 2011 — A majority of the Russian population (75 percent) approves Russia’s development assistance to the poorest countries, according to recent public opinion research supported by the World Bank. The survey assesses the attitude of the population towards Russia’s development aid which has significantly increased in recent years. In 2009, Russia quadrupled its official development assistance — to nearly $800 million — supporting countries hardest hit by the global financial crisis. In 2010, Russia increased its contribution to the World Bank International Development Association (IDA) by 60 percent and supported projects for infectious disease control, humanitarian relief, improving quality of education, and food security in poor countries.

The World Bank-managed public opinion research was undertaken by the Levada-Center, the Russian independent non-government polling and sociological company, and included a nationally representative survey and interviews with opinion leaders. "The research reveals that both opinion leaders and the general population are very supportive of Russia’s development aid work, although knowledge and awareness of development assistance activities is rather limited," says Pedro Alba, World Bank Country Director for Russia. "It is particularly important that a majority of the respondents feel that developed countries have a moral obligation to support poverty reduction in the world."

The research found that the Russian population would view favorably i) emergency and humanitarian aid, ii) support to neighboring poor countries from the former Soviet bloc that have traditionally been “a zone of Russia’s historic responsibility”, and iii) assistance to countries that pose a threat to global security. Respondents see Russia as an influential ‘world power‘, thus it should take an increasingly active role in assisting developing countries. "The research, however, found that Russia is perceived as being a ‘rich country with poor people’, and domestic problems are a primary preoccupation for 60 percent of respondents," says Aleksey Levinson, Head of Socio-cultural Research at the Levada-Center. A total of 1,503 respondents domiciled in 96 cities and 35 rural administrative districts in 44 regions of the Russian Federation completed the survey in June-July 2010.

When asked about the reason for Russia’s development aid efforts, respondents gave the highest priority to moral responsibility to reduce extreme poverty (63 percent of the surveyed). Among key strategic goals of the Russian Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) program, the following were supported: extending the circle of countries friendly to Russia (31 percent); reducing the threat of terrorism and drug trafficking between Russia and neighboring countries (30 percent); and increasing Russia’s influence and prestige in the world (30 percent).

The research identified general public support for Russia’s potential efforts in the area of education and training for poor countries (to include both sending Russian specialists to developing countries, and educating foreign students in Russia), development of health and medical care services, construction of industrial facilities, and supplying food at subsidized prices. Opinion leaders strongly supported capacity building in developing countries, and programs that would “provide fishing rods, rather than providing fish”.

Both opinion leaders and the general population spoke favorably of possible collaboration between Russia and other donors and international organizations in development aid programs. This was seen as a useful tool for adopting best practices from experienced donors, increasing the impact of assistance, and reducing risks of corruption in implementation of Russian development aid programs.  "Russia is working closely with the UN system, the Global Fund for Combating Malaria, AIDS and TB, and the World Bank," says Andrei Markov, Senior Partnership Specialist of the World Bank. "It is very instructive that such a collaborative approach is supported by the Russian population."

The survey confirmed that the Russian people have little information about Russia’s current and planned development aid programs. There is strong interest to receive this information in the future. The research created a benchmark that can be used by the Government for tracking views of the Russian population about development assistance over time on a regular basis.

The public opinion research on Russia’s development aid was part of the World Bank’s “Russia as a Donor Initiative” technical assistance program, financially supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The findings of the public opinion research were initially discussed with Russian Government officials, civil society, and the media at a World Bank workshop “Strategic Communication for Russia’s Development Aid Program” on January 19-20, 2011 in Moscow.