Poll Says Russians Less Tolerant Of Migrants

(RFE/RL) 16 November 2005 (RFE/RL) -- A new poll shows Russians are growing less tolerant of foreign migrants.
The poll, by the Yurii Levada Center, shows that 50 percent of the Russians surveyed said the government should restrict the number of migrants from the Caucasus. Nearly one-third of the people polled said they were opposed to the influx of workers from Central Asia.

Almost half of those polled said there should be limitations on the influence of Jews in government, business, law, and show business.

The publication of the poll was timed to coincide with today's observance of the International Day for Tolerance founded by the UN cultural agency UNESCO.

The Russian government today said it has raised next year's quota of legal labor migrants from 214,000 to 330,000.