Above all, Russians trust the president and the church, according to experts at the analytical center of Yuri Levada (Levada Center), who based their conclusions on the result of a survey of 2,107 Russians, conducted between March 1 and 13, 2004. In particular, 62% of the respondents said that the Russian president fully deserves to be trusted. The same was said of the church by 41% of respondents.
A further 28% trust the army completely, 26% the media, 20% the government security agencies, 19% the regional and district authorities, 18% the local authorities, 14% the courts, and 13% the procurators offices. At the same time, 40% of respondents said that the police and the political parties did not deserve any trust whatsoever, while 37% of those asked said that they did not trust the local (town and neighborhood) authorities, 34% the unions, 33% the regional and district authorities, 3% the Duma, 29% the government of Russia, 27% the courts, 27% the procurators' offices, and 23% the Federal Council.
The high level of trust in the Russian president can be explained by the fact that the poll was conducted during the most active phase of the presidential campaign. The experts noted a high rate of distrust for the institutions of the 'third estate,' who are called upon to protect citizens' rights and freedoms, the procurators' offices, police and courts.