A leader trusted by more than three-quarters of respondents, presiding over an administration approved by fewer than half, suggests that personal standing and institutional confidence are being measured on different scales.
Russia's state polling agency has reported that 77.5% of respondents say they trust President Vladimir Putin, according to TASS. The survey, conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) between 26 October and 1 November, covered 1,600 adult Russians. The same poll put Putin's job approval at 71.6%, the agency said.
The figures below the presidential line are more mixed. According to the report, 45.4% of respondents approved of the government's performance, while 46.2% approved of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin's work. Trust in Mishustin stood at 55.6%, well below the president's rating. Support for United Russia was measured at 31.9%, with the Communist Party on 14.5%, the Liberal Democratic Party on 10.9%, New People on 10.1% and A Just Russia on 5.3%.
Among parliamentary party leaders, Communist Party chairman Gennady Zyuganov was trusted by 37.1% of respondents, A Just Russia leader Sergey Mironov by 28.6%, Liberal Democratic Party leader Leonid Slutsky by 24% and New People chairman Alexey Nechayev by 13.3%, TASS reports.
The gap between the presidential and governmental numbers is the detail worth watching. A leader trusted by more than three-quarters of respondents, presiding over an administration approved by fewer than half, suggests that personal standing and institutional confidence are being measured on different scales. The party figures point the same way: United Russia's 31.9% is a long way from the presidential trust level, even allowing for the different questions being asked.
What the poll does not tell us matters as much as what it does. VTsIOM is a state-linked agency, and the report gives no margin of error, no breakdown by region, age or income, and no comparison with earlier waves. Without those, the trend is unknown. The survey period, 26 October to 1 November, is stated, but the report does not say how respondents were selected or how the questions were worded. Nor is there any indication of how non-response or refusal was handled.
For outside observers, the release is best read as a signal of the official picture rather than an independent measurement of Russian public opinion. It shows a leadership keen to demonstrate broad personal legitimacy while the government and ruling party command noticeably less confidence. Whether that gap is widening or stable cannot be judged from a single poll. The next comparable release, and any detail on methodology, will be the test.
