The situation in Siberia and the Far East is unsatisfactory and changes very slowly. Up to 40% of the residents are considering leaving the region. Almost one in four students is not going to return after graduation to their small motherland.

MOSCOW, June 21, 2012 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data on how the inhabitants of Siberia and the Far East assess the situation in the macro-region, whether they are ready to participate in its development and what country they see as partners, as well as whether the residents of the European part of Russia are considering the possibility of moving.

Social feeling and life prospects of the inhabitants of Siberia and the Far East

Every tenth inhabitant of Siberia and the Far East assesses the state of affairs in the region as critical (10%). Seventy-nine percent of respondents assess the situation as being satisfactory, and only 6% believe that it is good. Assessments among the students did not differ greatly: every tenth student also considers that the situation is critical; 73% assess situation in the region as satisfactory, 13% assess the situation in the region as good.

The high cost of living (46%), the situation in public utilities sector  (44%), alcoholism and drug addiction (38%) are  issues that residents of Siberia and the Far East  are mostly concerned about. Also the Siberian and the Far Eastern residents complain about road conditions (33%), corruption in the government (29%) and large numbers of immigrants (22%).

The situation in the region changes very slowly: 64% of the surveyed residents do not notice the changes, and 10% of them reported deterioration. Every fourth respondent indicated positive changes in the situation, compared to the last year. Improvement in the coming year is expected by 43% of inhabitants of Siberia and the Far East, the aggravation of problems is expected by one in ten (11%).  According to 40% of respondents the situation is unlikely to change.

About 40% of respondents consider leaving macro-region. Fifty-nine percent of respondents do not plan to change their place of residence. Among those who plan, 57% intend to move to another city of Russia, 20% - to another country; only 23% would like to leave the region, but have not yet decided where to move. The most common reasons are low salaries (44%), lack of career opportunities (36%) and lack of opportunity to buy a house (28%).

Every fourth student is ready to leave the city (23%) after graduation. Seventeen percent of them are considering moving to another city of Russia, other 6% - abroad. Nonetheless, more than half of respondents intend to stay where they live (61%). Those who would like to move say that they will have more career opportunities in other destinations (37%), they will find work in their fields (33%) and there will be a better atmosphere (33%). Graduates of Siberia and the Far East could stay where they live if the housing problems are solved (39%), employment in the specialty is guaranteed (31%) or due to family circumstances (31).

More than half of the inhabitants of Siberia and the Far East, as well as 46% of students are willing to link their future with the macro-region, if it launches a new large-scale "national project". The region's residents see the Asian countries such as China (59%) and Japan (56%) as key partners. Moreover, 15% of respondents are willing to stay in the region, if they are offered special conditions (higher payment - 47%; solution of housing problems - 37%, exemption from taxes - 15%).

Future of the macro-region

Most respondents (78%) believe that the region has unique qualities, and it can be developed only if  centralized.

Every second citizen of the macro-region stands for the unification of Siberia and the Far East into a single region. Among the students, there are 61% who support such a scenario. According to residents, to improve the efficiency of the region, special attention should be paid by the federal government (73%), and even by a special management body (69%).

The most suitable cities for the role of the capital of Siberia and the Far East, according to the surveyed, are Krasnoyarsk (26%), Khabarovsk (24%), Vladivostok (18%) and Irkutsk (16%).

The inhabitants of the European part of Russia - about Siberia and the Far East

The inhabitants of the European part of Russia do not see the potential of Siberia and the Far East, placing them at the end of the list when compared with other regions of our country. 70% of the "Russian Europeans" assess the status of the macro-region as satisfactory, 12% consider it as critical.

Over one-third of inhabitants of the European part of Russia are ready to move to the macro-region in case  a large-scale national project such as like Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) takes place. Moreover, 20% of them are willing to relocate under special conditions such as higher salary (68% among those who are willing to have special conditions), the ability to buy a home (45%) or the provision of accommodation during the period of work contract (30%).

Mass survey of employable population of Siberia and the Far East, students of this macro-region and the residents of the European part of Russia was conducted in May-June 2012. 500 respondents were interviwed in each target group. The margin of error does not exceed 4.5%

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!