MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Over 50% of Russians believe that corruption is an unavoidable and permanent fact of life, according to a nationwide survey published on Monday.

The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) found that 58% of respondents said it was impossible to fight against corruption in Russia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made the fight against corruption one of his top priorities soon after his inauguration last May, signing a decree to set up a presidential anti-corruption council just two weeks after he was sworn in.

The opinion poll found that 44% of Russians consider the greed and immorality of officials as the main causes of corruption.

Meanwhile, 49% of Russians believe that it would be easier for them to cope with legal and other problems if officials stopped taking bribes, while 29% of respondents said corruption did not have an influence on the way problems were handled.

The poll involved 1,600 people in 140 Russian towns and cities on April 4-5. The margin of statistical error is 3.4%.