VCIOM: 65% of Russians trust the police in their region — a record high for the years of measurements

Trust has tripled since 2012

Almost two-thirds of participants in the October VCIOM poll — 65% — said they trust police officers in their region. For comparison: in 2012, only 35% gave such answers, and skeptical attitudes prevailed at the time. The turning point came by 2018: since that measurement, those who trust have consistently outnumbered those who do not. The poll data is cited by Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru, referring to VCIOM materials.

What the numbers showed

The trust index, which VCIOM calculates as the difference between the shares of those who trust and those who distrust the police, stood at 40 points in October. This is lower than in February 2026, when the figure was 44 points — that is, the growth in the share of those trusting is accompanied by a slight decline in the index over the year. Participants rated the prestige of the police profession at an average of 3.44 out of five: it was 3.48 in 2023 and 3.37 in 2024, meaning that after a slight dip the rating has returned to the level of three years ago.

How the poll was conducted

The VCIOM-Sputnik telephone poll was conducted on October 23, 2026, with 1,600 Russians aged 18 and older taking part. The results were published on November 10, Police Day in Russia.

Awards for saving people

To mark the date, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev presented awards to 36 police officers from 16 regions — from Pskov Region to Yakutia. Among the awardees were officers who led people out of burning houses, rescued drowning individuals, and helped those trapped in snow. Gazeta.Ru separately cites a recent case from Altai Krai: while on duty, a traffic police officer took in a woman whose child had lost consciousness, drove the family to the emergency room within a few minutes, and after the child received care, took them home.