2008-06-03 12:51:00

Many young Russians OK with immorality - poll

Moscow, June 3, Interfax - One-third to half of young Russians do not consider prostitution, infidelity and abortions to be abnormal, said Yevgeny Yuryev, the head of the pubic council of the Central Federal District.

"A considerable percentage of young people [in Russia] from 30% to 50%, do not believe that prostitution, personal enrichment at the expense of others, rudeness, drinking, bribery, abortion, infidelity, or the public expression of dislike of people of other ethnicities to be unacceptable,' Yuryev said at a meeting addressing moral issues held in the State Duma on Tuesday, citing a poll conducted by the Sociology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The poll indicates that 55% of young people in Russia "are ready to overstep moral norms to achieve success," Yuryev said.

In addition, Russia is the world's leading country in the number of abortions, abandoned children, and deaths due to alcohol abuse, he said.