President Putin's rating was at 46-47 per cent, December last, as against 42-43 per cent of a month later. The rating has stayed at that into early March, say foundation statistics.
"A 4 to 5 per cent drop is a statistically significant change," pointed out Mr. Oslon, prominent sociologist.
The welfare reform was the main reason for the federal President's popularity shrinking. "The rating change reflects apprehensions into which the reform has steeped particular population groups-persons formerly entitled to privileges, who make about a third of the nation, as well as their families and people who sympathize with them," remarked the expert.
He pointed out extremely vague words into which the respondents put their grudges against the President. "A mere 7-8 per cent of our pollees offered explicit formulas for their complaints, whether linked to the reform or not. The rest cannot say just what they are accusing the President of."
A great many regard grants as an unequal replacement of lost privileges. More than that, many saw their privileges as symbolic reward for their merits. Now, they feel abused and degraded with the privileges gone.
At any rate, the public is apt to see everything new as changing its situation to the worse, said the expert.
Characteristically, close on a half of people on the welfare said, last year, that they were optimistic about the upcoming reform. Its inadequate arrangement, with ample organization problems and grants suspended later caused bad social tensions.
Mr. Oslon, however, acknowledges events at the year's start, which sent President Putin's rating up-Russian-US summitry in Bratislava and a pension rise.
