The main problem for Russians turned out to be not war at all, but inflation, a Levada Center poll has shown. When asked: “What problems of our society worry you most of all, and do you consider them the most acute?” – “Rising prices” is in the lead by a huge margin. This answer was chosen by 63%, the war is in second place: 35% indicated “special military operation in Ukraine, conflict with the West, sanctions”. It was possible to choose several answers.
According to Rosstat, prices rose by 31.7% in 2022-2024, last year inflation amounted to 9.5%. Groceries have grown in price especially fast (by 11%) – this eats up a significant part of the growth in Russians’ incomes. According to another recent Levada Center poll, almost 2/3 of Russian families (63%) spend at least half of their income on food. Other sociologists have similar results. Regular surveys by the Public Opinion Foundation, which the Central Bank uses as a reference point, consistently show that 6-9% of people “do not have enough money even for food,” and another 20% of people “have enough money for food, but not enough to buy clothes and shoes”.
