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A majority of Russians believe that Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization meets Russia's long-term interests and will do good to the Russian economy in the long run, sociologists report.

"For the last several years, the Russian have thought that an accession to the WTO meets the interests of our country. The number of those who think so has remained practically unchanged since 2005, and stands at 41-44 per cent," Interfax learnt from the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM), which carried out a poll in 140 localities in 42 Russian regions on 4-5 July.

Sociologists noted that since 2005, the number of people confident that WTO membership is against Russia's interests has slightly fallen - from 24 to 20 per cent. Thirty-nine per cent of the respondents could not say.

Those who believe that Russia is interested in WTO membership live mainly in the Urals (57 per cent), they are affluent (49 per cent) and educated people (49 per cent). Their opponents are mainly residents of the Northwestern Federal District (26 per cent) and people on low incomes (24 per cent).

"Russians believe that WTO membership does not preclude protectionism in defending the interests of the Russian economy," VTsIOM reports. The Russians think that the industries in need of protection are agriculture and food industry (86 per cent) and extraction of oil and gas (80 per cent). Less often the Russians think protection measures are needed in the aircraft-building industry (70 per cent), banking and insurance business (66 per cent) and the production of clothes, footwear, furniture and so on (65 per cent).

According to the poll, protectionist measures or bans on imports are not needed in the car-building industry (34 per cent), domestic electrical appliances and electronic goods (32 per cent), tobacco and alcohol products (28 per cent) and clothes, shoes and furniture (23 per cent).

In the last few years the supporters of the protectionist approach in all sectors has declined: mainly in the production of tobacco and alcohol goods (52 per cent against 76 per cent in 2005), clothes, shoes and furniture (65 per cent against 81 per cent), car-building industry (54 against 70), aircraft building (70 against 88) and banking and insurance business (66 against 80). At the same time the number of those who don't want to support Russian manufacturers and want to abolish bans on imports has grown, VTsIOM reports.

Alinga Consulting Group

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