The Public Opinion foundation was circulating probe returns on June 2.
Finance comes next, with 38 per cent, and marketing, 23 per cent. These two have retained their percentages since the previous probe, of six years ago.
Private enterprise led the show. Now, it ranks only fourth, 19 per cent against a previous 38. The popularity of trade and consumer services also shrank by half-15 per cent against 30 in 1999.
Very few doubt the value of higher education. It is extremely important now, said 78 per cent of respondents. People below 35 years of age offered an even more spectacular percentage, 82.
However, the present state of Russian higher education leaves much to be desired, said a great many respondents. Thus, 79 per cent are sure it takes huge money to enter college or university. 50 per cent think education quality has much deteriorated since the Soviet years, while 37 per cent find it below average global standards. However, 23 per cent think it is up to those standards, and 10 per cent, that it exceeds them.
The probe, of May 28-29, involved 1,500 respondents resident in a hundred urban and rural settlements of 44 constituent entities of the Russian Federation-regions, territories and republics. 600 Moscow residents were offered supplementary questionnaires. The statistical error kept within 3.6 per cent.
