The number of the respondents with a positive attitude has increased on average by a factor of 1.7 across all indicators, which points to, among other things, the fact that Russian citizens have adapted to the new reality. Such are the findings of a new study titled “The New Russian Society: Sentiment Pulse Check” carried out by the experts of Yakov and Partners and Romir Holding.
The survey was conducted using Romir’s proprietary longitudinal research tool which allows to analyze the evolution of public sentiments taking into account all the relevant criteria and segmentation by socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, values, and other criteria.
The majority of those surveyed mentioned some positive changes in terms of their incomes (20% of the respondents) and professional growth opportunities (14%). Meanwhile the biggest improvement among well-being factors was observed in the area of leisure and recreation, as the figures increased by a factor of 2.6 compared to the previous year.
In contrast to the previous year, when negative sentiments prevailed, more than half of Russian citizens perceive their current situation as stable. Young people under 20 predictably embraced the changes that took place last year with more optimism than those in other age groups, which is evident across most factors, especially the perception of long-term stability.
“Overall, expectations about the future have markedly improved compared to the previous year, with respondents expecting improvements in the situation of their families, their employers, and nationwide. The gap in expectations ranged from 16% to 21%, and was in the “green” zone for most indicators, with the greatest positive dynamics observed in the expectations regarding the welfare of the nation. At the same time, the majority of Russian citizens have mentally adjusted to the new reality. The share of the respondents who said that getting back to their old life would be impossible doubled from 20% to 40%”
Elena Kuznetsova, director of the Yakov and Partners Research Institute and co-author of the report
According to Inna Karaeva, executive director of Romir Holding, young people tend to take a more optimistic view of the future, while senior citizens (59 to 64 years old) regard the future based on their life experience.
“In my opinion, representatives of this age group look into the future through the lens of years lived, the crises they have come through, and with an understanding of what is yet to come. The main sources of anxiety in this age group are concerns about long-term stability and preservation of their savings. What’s interesting is that compared to the residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, representatives of million-strong cities and other regions of Russia tend to take a more optimistic view of the world”
Inna Karaeva, executive director of Romir
According to the authors of the study, another important change compared to the previous year is that consumers have become significantly less concerned about their income level (–31%) and emotional and physical well-being (–11%) but tend to be more concerned about preserving their savings (+11%) and long-term stability (+5%). The main factors contributing to the respondents’ anxiety were price hikes, the special military operation, and the general economic situation.
