MOSCOW, 24 December 2025. The VCIOM Analytical Centre presents the findings of an annual survey describing the assessments of the outgoing year and expectations for the upcoming year.
Personal results…
New Year’s Eve is not only time of festive chores but also a time to look back to see what the year brought us and to get ready for next year.
The findings show that the assessment of the outgoing year has considerably improved over the recent five years. Index of personal results[1] has increased from −33 points in 2020 to −8 points in 2021; in 2022 it became positive (7 points) and consolidated at 16 points by 2025. Perceptions of personal life and situation in the family stabilized and became steadily positive.
Russians are cautious in their expectations: Index of personal expectations[2] decreased from 45 points in 2020 to 33 points in 2022, then partially recovered to 43 in 2024 and 40 in 2025. Today respondents assess the results in a more positive way than several years ago, but they are rather reserved and not fully optimistic about the future.
…and about the country
Compared to the previous year’s assessments, pessimism is still dominant in Russia: in 2025 Index of country-level results stands at -35 points which is considerably better than extremely low assessments in 2020 (-80 p.) and 2022 (-69 p.), however a majority still perceive the year as rather difficult.
As before, expectations for the upcoming year are much more optimistic. In 2025 Index of expectations for Russia reached 25 points, and this is significantly higher than the 2022 level (−6 points) and even higher that the 2024 level (15 points). It means that even being negative about the current situation this year more Russians believe in improvements, but they are still being cautious.
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Retrospective
Assessments of the personal results and country-level results go in the same direction but with a different amplitude. In all periods, including times of crisis, personal assessments are higher than country-level assessments: even when indices are negative, country-level assessments are deeper and more stable.
Russians are experiencing hardships, personally and in their families, with less effort; individual resilience to external challenges is higher. Whereas the country reacts to crises in a stronger way and it takes time for the country to get back to normal, according to respondents. However, in relatively stable years these indicators appear to be closer, and the difference between the personal and the public is smaller.
Same can be applied to expectations for the future, Index of personal expectations has been higher than Index of country-level expectations over the entire period of measurement, including recent years, although both indices get closer. Expectations for the future (especially at a personal level) have been positive or quickly recover – even in the periods of sharp deterioration in assessments of the current period
Evaluation of the outgoing year and expectations for the future year are interrelated both at a personal and at a country-scale level; they are going in the same direction. Across all the periods evaluation of the future at a personal level is higher and more stable than expectations regarding the country. Even in the crisis years belief in your own abilities, personal future tends to decline to a lesser extent and recover more quickly, whereas expectation for the country’s future remain reserved.
Russian nationwide VCIOM-Sputnik telephone survey was conducted December 14, 2025. A total of 1,600 respondents aged 18 and older took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interview, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. The data were weighted for socio-demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
Key effectiveness indicators, survey of 14 December 2025: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.7027; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0250; response rate (RR)*** = 0.0560. Calculations are based on corporate standard:
* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.
** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.
** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.
What was the past year like for you and your family? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Very good | 6 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
Basically good | 49 | 39 | 45 | 50 | 55 | 49 | 38 | 42 | 53 | 50 | 46 | 54 | 45 | 44 | 48 | 50 | 47 | 29 | 40 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 50 |
Rather difficult | 37 | 43 | 39 | 33 | 30 | 35 | 45 | 44 | 35 | 39 | 41 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 29 | 28 | 33 | 36 | 38 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 26 |
Very bad, difficult | 7 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
Index* | 11 | -13 | 3 | 20 | 27 | 9 | -14 | -5 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 9 | -33 | -8 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 16 |
* Indices of personal results and country-level results are based on the questions “What was the past year like for you and your family?” and “What was the past year like for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value of Index may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the outgoing year.
What was the past year like for you and your family? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||||||||
| Total | Male | Female | Digital generation (2001 and later) | Younger Millennials (1992—2000) | Older Millennials (1982—1991) | Reform generation (1968—1981) | Stagnation generation (1948—1967) | Thaw generation (before 1947) |
Very good | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
Basically good | 50 | 49 | 51 | 56 | 53 | 47 | 47 | 53 | 46 |
Rather difficult | 26 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 31 | 28 | 24 | 23 |
Very bad, difficult | 14 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 15 |
Don’t know | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
Index* | 16 | 17 | 17 | 29 | 26 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 14 |
* Indices of personal results and country-level results are based on the questions “What was the past year like for you and your family?” and “What was the past year like for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value of Index may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the outgoing year.
What do you expect for the upcoming year for you and your family? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2024 | 2025 |
I think the upcoming year will be rather good | 27 | 10 | 12 | 19 | 21 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 16 | 21 | 21 |
I think that the upcoming year will be generally good | 47 | 45 | 52 | 51 | 54 | 37 | 47 | 51 | 54 | 51 | 52 | 54 | 43 | 48 | 53 | 45 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 47 | 47 |
It will be rather difficult | 20 | 34 | 27 | 21 | 15 | 39 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 18 | 15 | 27 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 22 | 24 |
I think it will be very bad | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Don’t know | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
Индекс** | 53 | 16 | 34 | 48 | 59 | 6 | 31 | 36 | 39 | 26 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 54 | 64 | 34 | 44 | 45 | 44 | 33 | 43 | 40 |
** Indices of personal expectations of the upcoming year and expectations on a national level are based on the questions “What do you expect of the year ahead for you and your family?” and “What do you expect of the year ahead for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the future.
What do you expect for the upcoming year for you and your family? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||||||||
| Total | Male | Female | Digital generation (2001 and later) | Younger Millennials (1992—2000) | Older Millennials (1982—1991) | Reform generation (1968—1981) | Stagnation generation (1948—1967) | Thaw generation (before 1947) |
I think the upcoming year will be rather good | 21 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 26 | 17 | 16 | 19 |
I think that the upcoming year will be generally good | 47 | 43 | 49 | 37 | 37 | 41 | 49 | 57 | 46 |
It will be rather difficult | 24 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 26 | 20 | 30 |
I think it will be very bad | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Don’t know | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Index** | 40 | 33 | 45 | 29 | 36 | 42 | 36 | 50 | 34 |
** Indices of personal expectations of the upcoming year and expectations on a national level are based on the questions “What do you expect of the year ahead for you and your family?” and “What do you expect of the year ahead for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the future.
What was the past year like for Russia in general? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) |
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| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
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Very good | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
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Basically good | 40 | 26 | 42 | 47 | 57 | 37 | 18 | 23 | 38 | 36 | 36 | 33 | 19 | 30 | 35 | 29 | 30 | 7 | 17 | 12 | 23 | 21 | 24 |
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Rather difficult | 46 | 53 | 44 | 37 | 25 | 47 | 61 | 55 | 47 | 51 | 50 | 52 | 57 | 44 | 41 | 43 | 43 | 48 | 48 | 57 | 48 | 53 | 49 |
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Very bad, difficult | 4 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 40 | 24 | 26 | 18 | 17 | 15 |
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Don’t know | 5 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
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Index* | -5 | -38 | -3 | 13 | 37 | -15 | -55 | -42 | -12 | -18 | -16 | -25 | -53 | -24 | -12 | -27 | -24 | -80 | -53 | -69 | -40 | -47 | -35 |
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* Indices of personal results and country-level results are based on the questions “What was the past year like for you and your family?” and “What was the past year like for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value of Index may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the outgoing year.
What was the past year like for Russia in general? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||||||||
| Total | Male | Female | Digital generation (2001 and later) | Younger Millennials (1992—2000) | Older Millennials (1982—1991) | Reform generation (1968—1981) | Stagnation generation (1948—1967) | Thaw generation (before 1947) |
Very good | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
Basically good | 24 | 25 | 22 | 40 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 22 |
Rather difficult | 49 | 47 | 50 | 29 | 49 | 48 | 51 | 51 | 54 |
Very bad, difficult | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Don’t know | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
Index* | -35 | -31 | -38 | -5 | -40 | -45 | -35 | -31 | -37 |
* Indices of personal results and country-level results are based on the questions “What was the past year like for you and your family?” and “What was the past year like for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value of Index may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the outgoing year.
What do you expect for the upcoming year for Russia in general? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
I think the upcoming year will be rather good | 13 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 24 | 21 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 22 | 18 | 20 |
I think that the upcoming year will be generally good | 48 | 37 | 49 | 53 | 52 | 30 | 42 | 43 | 46 | 51 | 48 | 44 | 37 | 44 | 48 | 37 | 37 | 34 | 39 | 32 | 41 | 37 | 40 |
It will be rather difficult | 29 | 41 | 30 | 22 | 17 | 48 | 35 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 21 | 25 | 40 | 38 | 40 | 35 | 44 | 28 | 35 | 30 |
I think it will be very bad | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Don’t know | 9 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Index** | 31 | -2 | 25 | 44 | 52 | -16 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 13 | 15 | 43 | 42 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 | -6 | 30 | 15 | 25 |
***Indices of personal expectations of the upcoming year and expectations on a national level are based on the questions “What do you expect of the year ahead for you and your family?” and “What do you expect of the year ahead for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the future.
What do you expect for the upcoming year for Russia in general? (close-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||||||||
| Total | Male | Female | Digital generation (2001 and later) | Younger Millennials (1992—2000) | Older Millennials (1982—1991) | Reform generation (1968—1981) | Stagnation generation (1948—1967) | Thaw generation (before 1947) |
I think the upcoming year will be rather good | 20 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 23 |
I think that the upcoming year will be generally good | 40 | 36 | 42 | 46 | 30 | 36 | 40 | 43 | 44 |
It will be rather difficult | 30 | 32 | 28 | 22 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 27 | 29 |
I think it will be very bad | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Don’t know | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
Index** | 25 | 16 | 31 | 46 | 12 | 19 | 17 | 32 | 37 |
*** Indices of personal expectations is calculated as and expectations on a national level are based on the questions “What do you expect of the year ahead for you and your family?” and “What do you expect of the year ahead for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the future.
[1] Indices of personal results and country-level results are based on the questions “What was the past year like for you and your family?” and “What was the past year like for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value of Index may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the outgoing year.
[2] Indices of personal expectations of the upcoming year and expectations on a national level are based on the questions “What do you expect of the year ahead for you and your family?” and “What do you expect of the year ahead for Russia in general?” The Index is calculated as a difference of positive and negative assessments. The value may vary between -100 and 100 points. The higher the index value, the more positive respondents are about the future.