(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Few people in Russia know what the Group of Eight (G-8) stands for, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 39 per cent of respondents say the G-8 is a coalition, a club, or a group of the world’s leading countries.

Conversely, 15 per cent of respondents think the group is a meeting of the heads of the world’s top countries, or a meeting of the leaders of top European states only. 42 per cent of those surveyed say the question is hard to answer.

The G-8 was created after the 1998 Birmingham summit. Russia had attended previous meetings of the G-7, but had been excluded from specific discussions on financial and economic matters. Russia formally joined the group in 1998, resulting in the Group of Eight (G8). The group holds annual summits where the heads of government of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States discuss economic and political affairs. The European Union (EU) also attends these meetings as an observer.

On Jul. 9, as the annual G-8 meeting was taking place in Japan, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev proposed raising the profile of the Russian currency in the global economy, saying, "The situation with a weak dollar and strengthening euro does not satisfy our partners, it does not satisfy anyone. (...) That is why we should promote the idea of turning the [Russian] rouble into one of the possible reserve currencies."

Polling Data

What is the Group of Eight (G-8)?

Which countries belong to the G-8?

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Jun. 28 and Jun. 29, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

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