All social well-being indices lost ground in December.

MOSCOW, December 23, 2015. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the indices of the Russian social well-being evaluated in December.

In December all social well-being indices have considerably decreased and hit this year low. The negative trend has been witnessed for several consecutive months.

Financial self-assessment index that was stagnating from September to November at 62 dropped to 52 p. The current record is lower than the December 2010 to 2014 indicators and equal to the 2009 record. Today every fourth Russian (24%) assesses his/her family well-being as “bad”.

Social optimism index has lost 17 points since August (9 points over the recent month) and plummeted to 40 p. Compared with the similar periods of the previous years, the drop is substantial. Twenty-seven percent of respondents believe that their life will get better in a year; 23% think it will be worse; 36% think nothing will change.

Economic situation index has also lost ground: it has dropped from 49 p. in October to 33 p. in December. The assessments were more positive in 2012-2014 and more negative in 2009-2011 compared to the current assessments. Every third Russian describes the economic situation in a negative way today (33%).

Political situation assessment index has been stable during the recent months; however, in December it plummeted from 61 p. to 51 p. Twenty-two percent of Russians assess the situation negatively (16% in November); 24% give positive assessments (29% in November). The current reading is lower that it was in 2012-2014 and in 2009-2010.

Country’s development index also failed to retain its position: it has decreased from 69-71 pp. in August-November to 62 p. in December. The current record is second only to the December 2014 record (69 p.) and is higher than any other record. In general, forty-three percent of Russians agree that Russia is doing well: 17% oppose them; a further 36% partially agree, partially disagree.

Satisfaction with life index has not lost much: it has decreased from 56 p. to 53 p. from November to December. Forty-eight percent of Russians are satisfied with their lives; 23% are dissatisfied; 27% are partially satisfied. The current meaning (53 p.) is much lower than the previous year figure (66 p. in December 2014), as well as the figures recorded in 2012 and 2013.

Financial Self-Assessment Index shows how Russians assess the financial situation in their families; it is calculated as a difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of index is, the more respondents are satisfied with the financial situation in their families. The value 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 a difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of index is, the more optimistic Russians are about the future. The value can vary between -100 and 100 points. The positive value shows that optimists prevail over pessimists; the zero value refers to the balance between optimistic and pessimistic assessments.

Economic Situation Assessment Index shows how Russians assess the Russian economic situation; it is calculated as a difference positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of index is, the better Russians assess the economic situation; the value 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 a difference positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of index is, the better respondents assess the political situation in the country; the value 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.

Country`s Development Vector Index shows how Russians assess the general direction of the country`s development; it is calculated as a difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments. The higher the value of index is, the more respondents approve of the general vector of the country’s development.  The value 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 lives they live; it is calculated as a difference between positive and average assessments and negative assessments The higher the value of index is, the more Russians are satisfied with their lives. The value of 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.

The VCIOM opinion poll was conducted December 12-13, 2015; 1600 respondents were interviewed in 130 settlements in 46 regions of Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.5%.

Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory