Poll: Russians support return to school uniforms MOSCOW, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A poll suggests Russians overwhelmingly support forcing schoolchildren to wear uniforms. The state-owned polling firm Vtsiom said 77 percent of respondents supported the reintroduction of compulsory school uniforms. The largest group of supporters came from people 45 or older or those with school-age children or grandchildren. The largest number opposed were people in their teens or early 20s and men who don't have children, RIA Novosti said Thursday. School uniforms were compulsory in the Soviet Union. The poll also asked about students showing religious affiliation in state-run schools, with just 35 percent showing support for religious expression in schools. Fifty-three percent of respondents opposed overt religious expression by students. A recent controversy was sparked when Muslim parents complained to school officials in Stavropol, in southern Russia, after their daughters were not permitted to wear head scarves traditional in their faith. The poll queried 1,600 people Oct. 27-28 and has a margin of error of 3.4 percent.