The percentage of Russian residents who consider their country to be rich increased 2.5 times in the past 25 years, with 63 percent of the respondents holding this opinion (against 24 percent in 1990), the All-Russia Center for Public Opinion Research (VTsIOM) has reported.
The poll, which surveys 1,600 people living in 130 populated areas in 46 regions of Russia, was conducted on July 11-12. It shows that the percentage of those who believe that Russia is a poor country has more than halved in 25 years, decreasing to 32 percent from 66 percent in 1990.
In the past few years, Russians became more optimistic about their citizens financial wellbeing: in 1990, only 3 percent believed that the number of poor families would decrease in 2-3 years, while in 2015 the number of such respondents reached 13 percent.
Fifty percent of the respondents (against 61 percent in 1990) now believe that the number of poor families will increase in the next few years, and 26 percent of the respondents (against 8 percent in 1990) believe the number of poor families will not change.
Among the main ways of fighting poverty a majority of Russians (63 percent against 75 percent in 1990) stated the opportunity to make a lot of money. Forty-nine percent of the respondents (against 35 percent in 1990) believe revenues should grow along with prices in order for poverty to be fought. Almost half of the respondents (46 percent now against 49 percent in 1990) believe the prices on essentials should stay low.
Thirty percent of the respondents (against 21 percent in 1990) believe the establishment of state assistance to low-income citizens at a level not less than the survival minimum will help fight poverty. Another 30 percent believe there is a need to increase state support to low-income groups of people in the housing, education and healthcare spheres.
One out of every four respondents (27 percent) believes increasing taxes for the rich will help fight poverty, while 26 percent believe that fighting parasitic lifestyles will help it. At the same time, 19 percent (against 25 percent in 1990) believe poverty can be overcome by lifting restrictions on extra work and combining jobs.
One out of every six Russians (17 percent against 3 percent in 1990) believes poverty can be reduced by developing charity, and only 9 percent believe poverty can be reduced by re-privatization of property. Another 5 percent (against 3 percent in 1990) call against incentivizing the birth of many children.
“Despite the fact that new generations are now entering the life scene of Russian society, who only remember the continual development trends of the 2000s, the fears of a return of the hard times and, consequently, poverty have not fully left us. The uncomforting ‘people’s prediction’ of an increase in the number of poor people, unfortunately, eventuated in the 1990s. Today’s prediction puts one on his guard, but is not a reason for pessimism,” Stepan Lvov, the head of socio-political studies at VTsIOM, said, commenting on the results of the studied.
