Fewer Russians Fear Growing Old, Poll Shows

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 29, 2014) The number of Russians who regard old age positively has grown over the past 10 years, a poll released Wednesday showed.

The poll, conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, showed 45 percent of respondents said they believed there were distinct advantages to old age, compared to 20 percent a decade ago.

A large majority, 64 percent, said they were not afraid of aging and the share of Russians who do not see any benefits to old age has shrunk from 70 percent in 2005 to 40 percent.

Of those questioned, a majority of respondents, 56 percent, said they were not concerned with taking steps to prepare for old age – such as saving money, looking after their health and improving their living conditions – compared to 15 percent who said they were.

The poll also touched on the issue of social welfare for the elderly. Seventy-two percent of respondents said not enough attention is given to elderly people in today’s society, especially in terms of social support. Seventeen percent believed that the current forms of social welfare were sufficient.

Thirty-four percent of respondents thought boosting the “material well-being” of older people would improve their social conditions.

The poll was conducted among 1,500 people over the age of 18 in 100 cities in 43 regions across Russia. The margin of error did not exceed 3.6 percent.