Most Russians Say Life Better Before Free Market Reforms

More than half of Russians in a nationwide poll said life was better before the economic overhaul that ushered in a market economy, a news agency reported Sunday.

Sixty percent of those polled by the Center for Public Opinion Study said the country’s current path is leading to economic gridlock, Interfax said.

The poll also found that the Communist Party had the highest support of any political group - 22 percent, compared to 3 percent for President Boris Yeltsin’s government. But 40 percent of respondents said they favored no political group at all.

No margin of error was given for the poll, conducted earlier this month.