MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - An opinion poll published on Tuesday said that the majority of Russians are in favor of the introduction of an anti-alcohol campaign, the All-Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) reported.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on June 30 at a meeting with Health Minister Tatyana Golikova that Russia needed to introduce measures to tackle alcohol abuse and other addictions.
VTsIOM said that 65% of Russians would support an anti-alcohol program, with 34% totally in favor of a campaign and 31% "likely to support it." Only 8% of respondents were against the initiative and 17% preferred to say no to any campaign with 10% unable to answer. The pollster said more women were in favor of anti-alcohol measures.
The most popular measure among respondents (63%) was a ban on selling alcohol to the under 21s. A ban on alcohol advertising was also popular at 57%, with 47% voting for a campaign promoting healthy lifestyles. Some 34% of respondents said drinking alcohol and being drunk in public places should also be made a criminal offense.
A total of 31% of those polled were in favor of a ban on alcohol sales in the morning, 29% proposed compulsory treatment for alcoholism and 19% said alcohol prices should be increased.
The Russian Public Chamber said in a report in June that around 500,000 Russians die annually from alcohol-related deaths. "Every year in modern Russia, alcohol abuse kills around half a million people," the report stated.
The average Russian drinks 17 liters of spirits a year, with some 2 billion liters of alcohol being consumed in Russia annually. Alcohol is also involved in some 80% of all murders and 40% of suicides in Russia, the report added.
VTsIOM said the poll was held June 28-29 among a sample of 1,600 people in 140 towns and villages in 42 Russian regions were polled with a statistical margin of error not exceeding 3.4%.
