The figures come from a national opinion probe the Public Opinion foundation made, April 2-3.
A majority of respondents were skeptical about reunification prospects. 53 per cent said they doubted not only that but even the chance of the post-Soviet Commonwealth going on the way it is now. A mere 25 per cent were sure the CIS countries would reunite. 21 per cent think the Commonwealth of Independent States will retain its present membership, and another 6 per cent expect more countries to join in. Equal percentages-20-think that certain countries will leave the CIS and that the Commonwealth will eventually collapse.
However pessimistic they might be about the CIS, an impressive 66 per cent think Russia must work to buttress it, as against 12 per cent of the contrary opinion.
Russians don't think their country is the greatest to benefit with the CIS. 20 per cent named Belarus, 18 per cent Ukraine, 10 per cent Kazakhstan, and a scanty 6 per cent Russia. Another 23 per cent think all member countries get equal benefits.
The questionnaire offered a symmetrical question of which of the CIS countries stood to lose the greatest in case the Commonwealth collapsed. Here, 32 per cent said all members would bear equal losses. Ukraine and Belarus got 12 per cent each. Russia scored 6 per cent, and Kazakhstan 5 per cent.
The probe involved a hundred settlements in 44 of Russia's constituent entities-regions, territories and autonomous republics, with 1,500 respondents interviewed in their residence places. 600 Muscovites were also offered supplementary questionnaires. The statistical error kept within 3.6 per cent.
