MOSCOW, July 26 - RAPSI. A survey taken by the Public Opinion Fund this June has revealed that the Russian public more often than not is unsatisfied with the workings of the courts: 40 percent of the respondents expressed a negative opinion of them, while only 24 percent rated them positively.

The results of this survey show that the public has been as unhappy with the state of the courts since 2008, where 39 percent of those asked in the same survey of that year gave a negative response and 28 percent a positive response.

Poor opinions of the courts are most common in major cities (46 percent) and in high income brackets. The most negative opinions come from those who have had personal experience of legal proceedings (up to 62 percent). Some 46 percent of the respondents believe that when passing judgments the courts are primarily guided by the law.

However, many believe that the courts are subject to external influences: 19 percent of those asked think this comes from the prosecutor's office, 17 percent - from higher courts and 15 percent - from the local administration.