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It should be noticed that quite a lot of respondents in Nazran were deeply concerned about some topics in the questionnaire and displayed their unwillingness to respond to certain questions included in the questionnaire during the research. Due to those circumstances, there was no possibility to explore respondents’ attitudes towards some problems including their attitudes towards the policy of the federal center in the North Caucasus.
Responding to a question on where problem of corruption in Ingushetia is the most urgent, most of those polled indicated law enforcement agencies (45%), education sphere (41%) and health system (38%). These top three most corrupted structures indicated by Nazran residents generally correspond to opinions of the residents of the other North Caucasus republics, who mentioned law enforcement agencies, education and health system among the most corrupted structures during previous research in their republics. Among other corrupted structured Nazran residents also indicated court system (36%), social security system (30%) and tax system (27%), which also correspond to opinions of people in other North Caucasus republics. At the same time, quite high number of those polled (26%) reported difficulties in answering this question.
An interesting characteristic feature of poll in Nazran, which makes it different from similar research in other North Caucasus cities, is the fact that around one-third of those polled in Nazran (31%) reported that they did not personally experience any manifestations of corruption. It should be noted that number of those who claimed the absence of the personal experience with corruption in the capitals of other North Caucasus republics was substantially lower ranging from 15% to 20%. It seems that one of the reasons for such high percentage of those who preferred to claim the absence of the personal experience with corruption was quite widespread in Ingushetia fear factor when people are concerned about their safety. Fear factor also manifested itself in the fact that many respondents refused to respond to some “inconvenient”, in their view, questions. Among those who reported personal experience with corruption, most had such negative experience in health system (26%), in education (25%), in law enforcement agencies (21%) and in social security system (16%). 6% of those polled could not answer this question.
Respondents’ answers to a question on changes in scale of corruption in Ingushetia in last several years indicated that most of those polled don’t see any substantial changes in that sphere. Thus, 37% of respondents think that scale of corruption in the republic did not change while 11% believe it increased and 13% - “rather increased”. At the same time, 6% noticed that corruption in the republic decreased and 16% - “rather decreased”. 14% of respondents reported difficulties in answering this question.
Speaking about possible developments in corruption situation in Ingushetia in the coming years, around one-third of all respondents (30%) noticed that situation in this sphere is not going to change. Only 2% of respondents think that corruption is going to increase and 6% - “rather increase”.
It is worth of noting that almost one-third of all respondents in Nazran (30%) demonstrated somewhat optimistic expectations saying that corruption in their republic would “rather decrease” while 8% of respondents are certain that corruption is going to decrease in the years to come. Those numbers are substantially higher than in other North Caucasus republics. Around one-fourth of those polled (24%) found it hard to answer that question.
Nazran residents’ opinions about major corruption source in Ingushetia proved to be quite similar to opinions in other North Caucasus republics. Most of those polled in Nazran (59%) think that local authorities are major source of corruption in their republic. Substantially lower number of respondents (43%) believes activities of the federal authorities represent main source of corruption. Around one-third of the respondents (31%) think that population of the republic play role of the major corruption source. 17% of respondents could not provide answer to that questions.
It is interesting that unlike some other North Caucasus republics the most recent change of leadership in Ingushetia when former unpopular President of Ingushetia Zyazikov was replaced by Yu.B.Evkurov, did not affect mostly critical attitudes of the local people towards republican authorities.
It should also be noted that people in other North Caucasus regions also tend to believe that activities of the local authorities represent the major source of corruption.