MOSCOW, 25 December 2023. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a monitoring study on the importance and effectiveness of the implementation of national goals as viewed by Russians.

National goals: expectation…

Based on the results of a new wave of the study, “decent and effective work and successful entrepreneurship” is again at the top of the most important national goals (Importance index average* of 84.0 p. out of 100; +2.4 p. compared to June 2021). This is followed by “comfortable and safe living environment” (83.5 p.). Average indices for “opportunities for self-fulfillment and talent development” and “maintaining population, human health, and well-being” gained 82.0 p. and 80.8 p., respectively. Digital transformation programs are seen as the least important priority by Russians (76.7 p.).

Assessments of certain tracks within the national goals have been stable. The most important ones include:

• Increasing people’s income including pensions (index** 94.8 p.);
• Enhancing the quality of general education (93.8 p.);
• Revealing, supporting and developing child and youth talents and skills (91.6 p.);
• Maintain stable economic growth (90.9 p.);
• Decreasing poverty rate (90.4 p.).

“Opportunity to improve living conditions” and “affordability of new housing using a loan mortgage” as part of the “comfortable and safe living environment” goal are increasingly considered as important (75.2 p., +2.8 p. since the previous wave; 63.1 p., +1.6 p. since the previous wave).  

Slightly fewer Russians consider it important to prioritize the growth in exports of Russian goods (−2.2 p.) and the efforts to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (−0.9 p.).

…and reality

Progress in implementing national goals is assessed lower than their importance. Success is primarily seen in digital transformation (index of positive changes*** 50.1 p. vs 49.5 p. in June 2023).  The second place is held by “opportunities for self-fulfillment and talent development” (42.6 p.), followed by “comfortable and safe environment” (36.1 p.) in the third place. Despite the importance of measures aimed at enhancing employment, the average index of positive changes for “decent and effective work and successful entrepreneurship” gained 30 p., whereas “maintaining population, human health and well-being” held the fifth ranking (28.7 p.).

By the end of 2023 Russians see visible results in 19 out of 27 tracks. The high-performance areas are (by growth in index of positive assessments****):

• maintaining stable economic growth rate domestically (+5.1 p. compared to the previous wave);
• increasing availability of domestic software (+4.0 p.);
• increasing the exports of Russian goods (+3.0 p.);
• recovery of water reservoirs, including the Volga River, Lake Baikal, and Lake Teletskoy (+3.0 p.);
• improving the quality of urban environment (+2.8 p.);
• opportunity to improve living conditions (+2.5 p.).

Today the point of growth is efforts aimed at maintaining population, human health, and well-being; they largely give in to other tracks.

VCIOM Russian nationwide survey was conducted 22-24 November 2023. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18 and older took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews, 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.

*Complex indicator: sum of final indices for each track within the five goals divided by the number of indicators under assessment. Index of importance for each track is calculated using the formula: the final percentage of answers is multiplied by the corresponding weight: “very important” — 1, “likely important” — 0.75, “likely unimportant” — 0.25, “not at all important” — 0, “don’t know — 0.5. Index can vary between 0 and 100 points. The higher the index, the more important the indicator. Applying indices simplifies perception and tracking of indicators in dynamics.

**Index of importance for each track is calculated using the formula: the percentage of answers to the question “How is it important for you and your family?” is multiplied by the corresponding weight: “very important” — 1, “likely important” — 0.75, “likely unimportant” — 0.25, “not at all important” — 0, “don’t know — 0.5. Index can vary between 0 and 100 points. The higher the index, the more important the indicator. Applying indices simplifies perception and tracking of indicators in dynamics.

*** Complex indicator: sum of final indices for each track within the five goals divided by the number of indicators under assessment. Index of positive changes for each track is calculated using the formula: the final percentage of answers is multiplied by the corresponding weight: “Yes, I noticed” — 1, “No, I didn’t notice” –0; “undecided” - 0.5. Index can vary between 0 and 100 points. The higher the index, the higher the assessment of positive changes for a particular indicator.

****Index of positive changes for each track is calculated using the formula: the percentage  of answers to the question “Over the recent 12 months have you noticed any positive changes in the work of the authorities in the following areas?” is multiplied by the corresponding weight: “Yes, I noticed” — 1, “No, I didn’t notice” — 0, “Don’t know” — 0.5. Index can vary between 0 and 100 points. The higher the index, the better the assessment of positive changes for a particular indicator.