RIA Novosti: Over Half of Russians Say Life is Hard, But Bearable – Poll

October 15, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, October 14, 2013) Some 57 percent of Russians feel that life is hard but bearable, according to a new survey, five percentage points higher than in 2011.

According to new poll results released by the independent Levada Center on Monday, 25 percent of respondents said that the phrase “things aren’t that bad, it’s livable” best sums up their view of life. This is four percentage points lower than two years ago.

A total of 15 percent said that “our disastrous situation is intolerable” best expressed their feelings, against 17 percent in 2011 and 32 percent in 1994, while three percent did not answer unchanged on the last poll.

The survey was conducted on Sept. 20-24, 2013 among 1,601 urban and rural residents aged 18 and above in 130 cities, towns and villages across 45 Russian regions. The statistical margin of error does is not above 3.4 percent, the pollster says.