VCIOM poll finds almost 70% of Russians see Victory Day as main holiday
MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Almost 70% of the polled Russians named Victory Day celebrated on May 9 as the country’s main holiday, said Maria Grigoryeva, an analyst at the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Research, or VCIOM.
"Victory in the Great Patriotic War is the most important achievement of the Russian people, if we talk about historical perspective. When asked which holidays are the most important, it is Victory Day that tops the list. 68% say that May 9 is the most important holiday for them," Grigoryeva said during a roundtable discussion at the Expert Institute for Social Research.
According to the analyst, the absolute majority of respondents (98%) believe that it is now important to preserve the memory of the Great Patriotic War.
"Sixty-seven percent believe that Victory Day is Russia's greatest victory ever. Moreover, for Russians, the Great Patriotic War and the victory in it have personal significance. Ninety percent said that they have relatives who participated in the Great Patriotic War. Forty-five percent know the fates of their relatives from family archives and stories of relatives," Grigoryeva said.
Almost 40% of respondents said that the value of historical memory and continuity of generations is very important to them.
"This is the second place in the rating of values after a strong family," the analyst said.
Ninety percent of Russians take pride in Russia's history.
"This figure has held at a fairly high level for many years. Eighty-five to ninety percent of Russians believe that the history of Russia is something that they can and should be proud of," Grigoryeva said.
Among the most significant events of the Great Patriotic War, Russians named the Battle of Stalingrad (33%), the Siege of Leningrad (28%), the Battle of Kursk (24%), the Battle of Moscow (16%), Victory Day (16%) and the capture of Berlin (13%).
The poll was conducted in April among 1,600 adult Russians.
