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Most of Russian car users think that the country’s government is mainly to blame for high gasoline prices, a recent opinion poll by the National Public Opinion Studies Center VTsIOM revealed.

According to the survey taken in mid July, 41 percent of the respondents fault the Russian government for gasoline prices surging, with motorists now paying up to 19 rubles per liter ($2.65 per gallon), the center’s site http://www.wciom.ru said.

Less than a third of the respondents (29 percent) believe that the current prices result from the activity of large national oil companies rather than the government, showed the poll which was conducted among 1,600 residents in 153 of Russia's cities, towns and villages.

The survey revealed that 9 percent of drivers believe the gasoline prices depend solely on the market, supply and demand. Another 6 percent of those polled fault gasoline wholesale retailers, and only 5 percent think petrol station’s owners are to blame.

The respondents aged older than 25 tend to think that the Russian government is solely responsible for high gasoline prices, while younger respondents are inclined to blame both the government and large oil companies, the poll showed.

The results found that for almost half of car owners (43 percent) their family budget expenditures on gasoline are considerable, while another 43 percent feel their expenditures are moderate. Another 9 percent said their expenditures on gasoline are insignificant.

Overall, 40 percent of Russian families today own a car, the poll found. Most car users (55 percent) are wealthier families, while the percentage of those families owning cars with middle incomes is less accounting for 45 percent. Among families with low incomes only 25 percent own a car.

According to the poll results, over half of the motorists (57 percent) answered they will cease using their car and start using public transport if gasoline prices rocket up to 50 rubles ($1.9) per liter. Should the price go up to 40 rubles per liter, 47 percent of drivers will stop using their car, the poll said. For 37 percent of car users, the maximum amount they would spend on gasoline is 30 rubles ($1.1) per liter. 18 percent of car owners said they will switch from their car to public transport if the price exceeds 20 rubles per liter. Finally, 30 percent of the respondents said they will be using their car regardless of the price, the survey revealed.

Meanwhile, experts predict that by December gasoline prices in Russia are expected to climb to an average of 20 rubles per liter. In Primorye, where the gasoline prices are higher than in the country’s other regions, the current price is already 22 rubles per liter ($3.10 per gallon).