RUSSIAN PUBLIC SHOWING MORE INTEREST IN NATIONAL CENSUS RESULTS

MOSCOW, MARCH 10 (RIA NOVOSTI) - The Russian public displays a growing interest in the results of the 2002 nationwide census. According to a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Fund last month, some 49 percent of the respondents are interested. In January, the number was just 40 percent. Holders of university degrees are more concerned with the topic than other groups; 67% of such pollees said they would like to find out more about the census results.

Population and birth rate figures arouse the interest of 38 and 21 percent of respondents, respectively. Many are attracted by data on the country's ethnic composition (11%) and its age/gender makeup (11%), as well as by information on housing conditions (9%), migration (9%), and marital status (7%).

The survey indicates that a majority of Russians familiar with the latest national census (64%) consider it to be a reliable source of data. Only 19 percent of those surveyed are not interested in the results. Interestingly enough, contributors to the census tend to show greater interest in its findings than those who did not participate.

A sample of 1,500 Russians from 103 communities across the country were interviewed for this survey.