Russians’ social optimism rose from 60 to 68 points during the month of June. At the same time the level of life satisfaction fell below the mean (48).

MOSCOW, July 20, 2010 The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the June index of social well-being* in Russians.

The Economic Index estimates the country’s economic situation for the third month in a row to be within 25-33 points. The month of June saw the loss of all gains made in May, returning the index to its April level (16 points). Economic instability worried a number of Russians, causing more negative assessments of the economic situation in the country to rise (32-35%). The June decline was also influenced by a reduction in the percentage of respondents satisfied with the country's economy (from 10 to 8%). The index shows that the country’s economic situation remains at the lowest point ever measured, and that it is the only sector yet to recover from the global economic crisis.

The Political Index estimates that Russia’s political situation has declined rapidly for the second consecutive month (from 69 to 61) after showing impressive growth in March and April of this year (From 58 to 69 points). The reduction in the index is due to a growing number of Russians who are unhappy with the political situation in the country (from 13 to 16% in a month). The negative movement of the index returned its values to those from the beginning of the year, a significant drop from April’s near record-high observations (74 points in May, 2008). Moreover, the June poll lost its leadership position in the social optimism index, for the first time in a long while taking second place. In general, the index remains at amongst the highest levels for this period, yielding only to June 2008 (69).

The National Development Index is one of the few indices that have shown positive growth in June. The two-month decline was replaced in June by a modest growth of two points (to 50). The change was caused by an increasing proportion of Russians who approve of their county’s course of development (from 23 to 28%) as well as a lower number of negative or ambiguous assessments (from 23 to 22% and from 48 to 44%, respectively). A slight increase coupled with reductions in other factors brought the index estimates to the side of positive development. Overall, the current index for this period is second in value only to that of 2008 (55). For comparison, the value in June 2005 was only around 17 points and 48 points a year ago.

The Life Satisfaction Index is June’s biggest loser. Losing six points just this month, the index again fell on a mark just below average (48). The negative growth was caused by a growing number of Russians who are dissatisfied with their lives (from 22 to 25%) and a lower proportion of those who are relatively satisfied with it (from 46 to 41%), completely erasing the May gains (54) and again kept them from reaching record levels (56-57 points). However, in retrospect, the level of this index remains relatively high, second only to the values of June 2008 (54).

The Social Optimism Index is June’s leader in growth. One of the few indices to have shown positive growth, this index has increased by nine points (up to 68 points). The sharp decrease in social pessimism (from 13 to 8%) allowed the index to reach a record high. The previous maximum was recorded in August and October 2006 (65). For comparison, a year ago the index stood at just 48 points.

Since the beginning of the year the Financial Situation Index has remained virtually unchanged, staying between 54-56 points. However, while prior to March of this year the index slowly grew (from 47 to 56), it is now in a progressive decrease (from 56 to 54). Despite this, the June index value was the highest for this same period since 2005. For comparison, a year ago the index was at around 44 points and at 34 points in June 2005.

The indices of social well-being:

Economic Index - shows how Russians view the economic situation in their country, and is calculated as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings. The higher the index value, the more positively the respondents have evaluated the economic situation.

Political Index - shows you how Russians assess the political situation in their country and is calculated as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings. The higher the index value, the more positively the respondents have evaluated the political situation.

National Development Index - shows how Russians view the general course of development of their country, and is calculated as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings. The higher the index value, the more the respondents approve of the direction of the country.

Life Satisfaction index - shows how Russians feel about their present and future, and is calculated as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings. The higher the index value, the more respondents were satisfied with their lives.

Social Optimism Index - shows how confident Russians are that their lives will improve within the next year, and is calculated as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings. The higher the index value, the more optimistic respondents were about the future.

Financial Index - shows how Russians assess the financial situation of their family, and is calculated as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings. The higher the index value, the more positively the respondents evaluated the financial situation of their families.

The poll was conducted by VCIOM on 26-27 June 2010 and surveyed 1600 people in 140 villages in 42 regions, territories and republics in Russia. Statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.

All indices measured as the difference between negative and non-negative ratings  

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