MOSCOW, January 2, 2008 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information on how Russians spent the New Year holidays, how they estimate the experience of having long holidays and what amount of money they spent on seeing the New Year in.
Three thirds of Russians are on the whole happy with how they spent the New Year and Christmas holidays. The share of positive responses to this question has remained practically unchanged within the last two years (74-77%), whereas the portion of negative estimations has decreased from 23% down to 17%, and the share of people who found it hard to provide an answer to this question has simultaneously grown (from 3% up to 8%). The youth liked the way they spent the holidays more than older respondents did (81-83% of respondents younger than 35 years are happy with their holidays, 75% of respondents aged 35 to 44 liked theirs and 70% of respondents aged 45 and older estimated their holidays positively).
Russians spent their holidays in a traditional way. A little over a half of respondents (52%) paid visits, every forth respondent spent the time walking in the open air; 16% went to New Year performances, other types of performances and movies with their children; 12% went to clubs, restaurants and discos; 10% were at the theatre, movie theatre or concert; about the same portion of respondents went skating, skiing and tobogganing. One third of respondents spent the holidays at home (this index was higher four years ago and totalled 40%), 13% worked.
Right before the New Year every second respondent hoped to spend less than 3000 rubles on the celebration, however, not all of them succeeded in that. Thus, 50% of respondents were planning to spend up to 1500 rubles on the New Year's table, in reality a smaller share (45%) managed to keep within this sum. 48% of respondents wanted to give out no more than 1500 rubles on presents to their relatives and friends, only 40% could actually confine themselves to this sum of money. Other expenses from the New Year's budget (New Year performances, holiday trips, going to theatres, restaurants, etc.) were less predictable; in the end 35% of respondents gave out less than 1500 rubles on events like that, 14% spent more than this sum of money, and a third of respondents (34%) avoided this expenditure item as such.
Russians are getting increasingly attached to the possibility of having a holiday in January. The number of those who consider introducing long holidays in January to be a good decision has grown from 36% up to 48% if compared to the data obtained in 2005. The share of those who advocate holidays like that is especially high among the young from 18 to 24 years of age where it reaches 75% (cf.: only 27% of respondents older than 60 support these holidays). The portion of those who support the idea of long holidays in general but would prefer to have them introduced not in January but over the May holidays, has remained stable (23-27%). At the same time the share of opponents who think that these holidays should be withdrawn in the future, has fallen (from 27% to 15%).
The initiative opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM on January 12-13, 2007. 1600 respondents were interviewed in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.
Are you satisfied with the way you spend your New Year and Christmas holidays? | |||
| January 2006 | January 2007 | January 2008 |
I am quite satisfied with it | 74 | 77 | 75 |
I am not really satisfied with it | 23 | 19 | 17 |
Hard to say | 3 | 4 | 8 |
Are you satisfied with the way you spend your New Year and Christmas holidays? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and more | ||
I am quite satisfied with it | 75 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 70 | 70 |
I am not really satisfied with it | 17 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 15 |
Hard to say | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 15 |
What of the listed below did you do during the New Year and Christmas holidays? | ||||
| January 2005 | January 2006 | January 2007 | January 2008 |
Paid visits | 46 | 54 | 52 | 52 |
Walked and spent the time in the open air | 20 | 28 | 22 | 24 |
Went to performances, New Year performances, movie theatre with the children | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Went to a restaurant, club or a disco | 10 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Went to the theatre, concert, movie theater | 5 | 9 | 7 | 10 |
Went skating, skiing, tobogganing | 8 | 12 | 6 | 10 |
Went to the country or country house | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
Spent the holiday abroad | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Spend the holidays at a resort or holiday cottage in Russia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
I did not go anywhere, but spent all the holidays at home | 40 | 35 | 35 | 33 |
I've been working | 11 | 16 | 10 | 13 |
Other option | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Approximately how much did you spent/ are planning to spend on seeing the New Year in? | |||||
| Spent, January 2006 | Planning to spend, December 2006 | Spent, January 2007 | Planning to spend, December 2007 | Spent, January 2008 |
Up to 500 rubles | 17 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
From 501 to 1000 rubles | 26 | 23 | 26 | 20 | 18 |
From 1001 to 1500 rubles | 20 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
From 1501 to 3000 rubles | 17 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 22 |
From 3001 to 5000 rubles | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
From 5001 to 10000 rubles | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Over 10000 rubles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
I am not planning any expenses | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
Hard to say | 6 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 11 |
Approximately how much did you spent/ are planning to spend on seeing the New Year in? | |||||
| Spent, January 2006 | Planning to spend, December 2006 | Spent, January 2007 | Planning to spend, December 2007 | Spent, January 2008 |
Up to 500 rubles | 25 | 22 | 23 | 15 | 15 |
From 501 to 1000 rubles | 24 | 23 | 25 | 18 | 18 |
From 1001 to 1500 rubles | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 |
From 1501 to 3000 rubles | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 17 |
From 3001 to 5000 rubles | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
From 5001 to 10000 rubles | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Over 10000 rubles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
I am not planning any expenses | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
Hard to say | 7 | 10 | 5 | 16 | 10 |
Approximately how much did you spent/ are planning to spend on seeing the New Year in? | |||||
| Spent, January 2006 | Planning to spend, December 2006 | Spent, January 2007 | Planning to spend, December 2007 | Spent, January 2008 |
Up to 500 rubles | 21 | 15 | 19 | 11 | 14 |
From 501 to 1000 rubles | 17 | 11 | 17 | 10 | 11 |
From 1001 to 1500 rubles | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
From 1501 to 3000 rubles | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
From 3001 to 5000 rubles | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
From 5001 to 10000 rubles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Over 10000 rubles | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
I am not planning any expenses | 33 | 46 | 35 | 29 | 34 |
Hard to say | 14 | 12 | 12 | 30 | 17 |
How would you estimate the experience of having long New Year and Christmas holidays? | ||||
| January 2005 | January 2006 | January 2007 | January 2008 |
I consider introducing long holidays in January to be a good decision | 36 | 41 | 40 | 48 |
I characterize the decision as positive on the whole, but with a reservation that it could be better to introduce holidays not in January but over the May holidays | 27 | 27 | 23 | 24 |
I consider introduction of long holidays to be a bad decision as such, they should be rejected in the future | 27 | 23 | 25 | 15 |
Other option | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Hard to say | 8 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
How would you estimate the experience of having long New Year and Christmas holidays? | ||||||
| Total respondents | Age, years | ||||
18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 and more | ||
I consider introducing long holidays in January to be a good decision | 48 | 75 | 61 | 52 | 39 | 27 |
I characterize the decision as positive on the whole, but with a reservation that it could be better to introduce holidays not in January but over the May holidays | 24 | 14 | 21 | 24 | 32 | 24 |
I consider introduction of long holidays to be a bad decision as such, they should be rejected in the future | 15 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 25 |
Other option | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Hard to say | 11 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 20 |