The key facts

  • The Great Moscow Circus will allocate about 3 million rubles to study Russians' attitudes toward performances with animals.
  • The study includes surveys of 2,400 people and interviews with experts against the backdrop of plans to build a new building by 2029.
  • The commission was made in the context of public debate over the ethics of using animals in the circus.

Commission to study public opinion

The Great Moscow Circus has announced its intention to conduct a large-scale sociological study, focused on how circus performances featuring animals are perceived and what audiences expect from the institution's new building. According to the Telegram channel

Ostorozhno, Moskva

, about 3 million rubles have been allocated for this purpose. The contractor will have to organize two online surveys: the first will cover 1,600 adult residents of Russia, the second — 800 Muscovites. Additionally, eight interviews with experts in circus arts and animal care are planned. Context of the new building's constructionThe survey initiative coincides with active discussion of the construction of a new circus venue in the Mnevniki floodplain. At the end of October

Aleksey Fursin, head of the Moscow Department of Culture, noted

that the construction of the new building will strengthen Russia's status as a leader in world circus art. Earlier, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the facility is planned to be commissioned by 2029. The project envisions a modular stage with interchangeable sections, a water channel and a waterfall. Public debateThe study is intended to reveal not only expectations regarding the architecture of the new building, but also the audience's attitude toward the use of animals in acts, which is the subject of public debate. Earlier,