Interfax: Most Russians prefer ruble savings but oppose dollar ban – poll

MOSCOW. Nov 22 (Interfax) – The percentage of Russians who have savings has hit its highest point in the past few years. The ruble remains the most popular currency of savings, but Russians do not want to abandon the dollar or euro either, sociologists said.

Some 22% of the respondents said they had savings in fall 2008. The percentage grew to 27% in 2010 and is 30% now, Levada Center told Interfax.

Sixty percent of 1,600 respondents said they had none (78% in 2008). Levada Center held the poll in 45 regions of Russia in late October.

Meanwhile, the share of Russians preferring ruble savings has grown from 83% to 89% in the past three years, the sociologists said. The number of persons favoring the dollar or the euro has fallen significantly: 2% have dollar savings at present whereas 6% did in 2010, and 1% has euro savings and 4% did in the earlier period.

Six percent of citizens have a balanced saving portfolio consisting of rubles, dollars and euro. Their number doubled, from 3%, in the past two years.

Fifty percent answered “the ruble” to the question about which savings currency was the most profitable and safest. The number was smaller, 36%, a year ago.

Ten percent trust the stability of the euro, and 5% are attracted by the stability of the dollar (the indicators stood at 8% and 9% respectively in 2012). The safety of “a multiple currency purse” attracts 16% of the respondents but their number has dropped by 6% over the past year (22%).

The reaction of Russians to the recent proposal of the Liberal Democratic Party to ban the storing and turnover of U.S. currency in Russia was rather negative.

Judging by the latest poll conducted by Levada Center on November 15-18, the initiative gained support of 26% of 1,603 adult respondents in 130 towns and cities in 45 regions, 55% were opposed, and the others were undecided.