Russians don't need kopecks - poll
MOSCOW. Jan 30 (Interfax) - Forty-six percent of Russian citizens are ready to give up using small coins (one and five kopecks), and 21% of the respondents believe the use of all kopeck coins (one, five, ten, and fifty kopecks) should be discontinued, a poll conducted by sociologists from the portal Superjob.ru on January 28 shows.
The poll surveys 1,800 respondents.
Georgy Luntovsky, first deputy chairman of the Bank of Russia, said on January 22 that the Russian Central Bank, which has already stopped making one and five kopeck coins, plans to raise the issue of withdrawing these coins from circulation at the legislative level again. He also believes it is right to withdraw from circulation all coins worth less than one ruble. The production of 90% of all coins does not bring profits in Russia, he said. The only coins whose product brings profits are five and ten ruble coins, he said.
The respondents believe the production of small coins is a waste of public funds and one and five kopeck coins only add weight to people's wallets.
The percentage of respondents who are prepared to say good-bye to one-kopeck coins is higher among women than among men (51% against 42% and young people younger than 24 (51%)
"No one is using them anymore"; "If it becomes possible to buy something again with one or five kopecks, they can be reintroduced," the respondents said.
The percentage of those who propose to withdraw all kopeck coins from circulation is higher among men (26%) than among women (16%). "They are useless. They don't do anything but add weight to people's pockets! It's heavy to carry them, but people can't throw them away!" the respondents said.
Another 14% of the respondents believe that "you should take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves" and propose to keep the small coins, saying that getting rid of them will lead to higher prices on all goods and services.
The percentage of those who defend coins is higher among older people (16% of the respondents older than 45 said they want small coins to stay).
The percentage of those who defend the need to use kopeck coins is decreasing gradually (it has decreased from 22% in 2008 to 18% in 2010).
Twelve percent of the respondents said they do not care if the kopecks will stay, and 7% of the respondents said they are undecided.
