Economic Situation Index went up from 17 p. in the beginning of the year to 42 p. in December. Public assessments of the political situation and country’s development vector hit their highs in the end of the year.

MOSCOW, December 21, 2016.  Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the indices describing Russian social well-being in December.

In December the Economic Situation Assessment Index increased to 42 p. hitting its yearly maximum. Since the beginning of the year it has considerably grown up (17 p. in January). As a comparison, in December 2014 the indicator was 46 p.; in December 2013 – 40 p. According to the recent poll data, 14% of Russians give above-average assessments; 28% - below average; 56% - at the average level.

Over the recent month the Russian assessments of the family financial well-being have not changed much:  the Index was 54 p. in November and 55 p. in December. A year ago the Index was 52 p.  Average assessments also prevail (61%); the share of the negative answers (22%) is slightly higher than the share of the positive ones (16%).

The Political Situation Assessment Index did not change much in November and December and stayed at 60 p. (yearly maximum); this figure exceeds the January 2016 value (51 p.) and is equal to the averages of the previous years. Twenty-nine percent of Russians assess the situation as “good” or “very good”; 18% - as “bad” and “very bad”; 49% - as “average”.

The General Country’s Development Assessment Index was 62 p. in November and December which is an all-year high and a repeat of the December 2015 record (in January this year the value was lower – 55 p.). Only 17% of respondents do not approve of the direction of the country’s development; they are opposed by 40 %.

The Satisfaction with Life Index is fluctuating between 46-49 pp. The Index value in December 2016 (47 p.) was slightly lower than it was a year ago (53 p.). The Index compares poorly with the December 2012-2014 values (60-66 p.). Forty-six percent of Russians say they are satisfied with life they are living; they are opposed by 26 %.

The Social Optimism Index left its negative value range of the previous months in the end of the year and hit 51 p. in December (47 p. in November). The current index value is higher than in January this year (44) and December 2015 (40 p.). Two years ago the optimism was at 53 p.; in 2012-2013 it was much higher (66 p.). Today more than one-quarter of Russians (29%) anticipate improvement in the life satisfaction (personal and family); one-fifth (19%) provide negative predictions; a further 41% believe that their living conditions will be the same.  

Economic Situation Assessment Index shows how Russians assess the economic situation in the country; it is calculated as the difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of the Index is, the better respondents assess the economy. The Index can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that “not bad” assessments prevail over “bad” assessments; the zero value refers to the balance between “not bad” and “bad” assessments.  

Financial Self-Assessment Index shows how Russians assess their personal financial situation and situation in their families; it is calculated as the difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of the Index is, the more respondents are satisfied with the family financial situation. The Index can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that “not bad” assessments prevail over “bad” assessments; the zero value refers to the balance between “not bad” and “bad” assessments. 

Political Situation Assessment Index shows how Russians assess the political situation in the country; it is calculated as the difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of the Index is, the better respondents assess the political situation. The Index can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that “not bad” assessments prevail over “bad” assessments; the zero value refers to the balance between “not bad” and “bad” assessments. 

General Country’s Development Index shows how Russians assess the general country’s development; it is calculated as the difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of the Index is, the more respondents approve of the country’s development. The Index can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that “not bad” assessments prevail over “bad” assessments; the zero value refers to the balance between “not bad” and “bad” assessments. 

Satisfaction with Life Index shows how much Russians are satisfied with the life they are living; it is calculated as the difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of the Index is, the more respondents are satisfied with the life they are living. The Index can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that “not bad” assessments prevail over “bad” assessments; the zero value refers to the balance between “not bad” and “bad” assessments. 

Social Optimism Index shows how optimistic Russians are about the future; it is calculated as the difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of the Index is, the more optimistic respondents are about the future. The Index can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that optimists outnumber pessimists; the zero value refers to the balance between pessimistic and optimistic assessments.

The VCIOM survey was conducted on December 10-11, 2016  in 130 settlements, 46 regions and 8 federal districts of Russia, with a sample of 1600 persons representative of the Russian population aged 18 and over according to sex, age, education, type of settlement. The survey was conducted with multi-stage stratified sample based on general rule of walking and quotas at the final selection stage.  The margin of error (taking into account the design effect) with 95% confidence interval does not exceed 3.5%. The survey method is community-based structured face-to-face interviews. Apart from the margin of error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the field work should be taken into account.

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