Putin's job approval rating stands at 84% - poll
MOSCOW. Sept 23 (Interfax) - The job approval rating of Russian President Vladimir Putin stands at 84% in September, Levada Center sociologists told Interfax on Wednesday following this month's survey.
Fifteen percent of respondents of the center's latest poll were dissatisfied with Putin's work as Russian president, which is two percentage points less than in August (17%).
Last month Putin's work had the approval of 83% of the polled, in June - 89%, in January - 85%.
In June the approval rate was 89%, in April-May - 86% and in January - 85%.
The job approval rating of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stands at 65%, while his work received negative assessments from 33% of those polled. After slightly deteriorating in August (61% and 38% respectively) it returned to the June-July level.
Sixty percent of respondents approved of the Russian government's performance, while 39% of those polled disapproved of it.
The work of the State Duma received positive assessments from 52% of respondents and negative assessments from 46%.
Furthermore, 62% of those polled spoke positively of the work of governors of their territories, including the Moscow mayor, and 38% took the opposite view.
Respondents were also asked to name five or six Russian political figures whom they trust most.
President Putin topped the list, being mentioned by 59% of those polled; Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu came second with 25%. Prime Minister Medvedev was third with 20% and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came fourth with 17%.
They were followed by Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky (10%), Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov (9%), head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill (6%). Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, leader of A Just Russia party Sergei Mironov and Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko had 5% each.
Meanwhile, 9% of respondents said they do not trust any Russian political figures today, 15% of those polled said that they are not interested in politics and 7% were undecided.
Additionally, 55%, the same as in August, believe that Russia is moving in the right direction, 26% of those polled expressed the opposite opinion, and 19% are undecided.
The survey was conducted in 134 communities in 46 Russian regions on September 18-21 and involved 1,600 people. The margin of error in these studies does not exceed 3.4%.