This survey took place between August 23–30, 2018 and was conducted throughout all of Russia in both urban and rural settings. The survey was carried out among 1600 people over the age of 18 in 136 localities of 52 of the country’s regions. The survey was conducted as a personal interview in respondents’ homes. The answer distribution is presented as percentages of the number of participants along with data from previous surveys.
The statistical error of these studies for a selection of 1600 people (with a probability of 0.95) does not exceed:
3.4% for indicators around 50%
2.9% for indicators around 25%/75%
2.0% for indicators around 10%/90%
1.5% for indicators around 5%/95%
In August 2018, the Levada Center repeated its regular survey of the social problems which most concern the public. Compared with the same period last year, practically all issues were chosen more frequently, i.e. respondents have started to show more concern than in 2017 with, most prominently, issues concerning the welfare and income of citizens: the rise in prices and unemployment, poverty, the gap between the rich and poor, and the increased cost and inaccessibility of education. In addition to this, there is more concern with the rise of unemployment, documented in studies performed in August, than in previous years — practically every second Russian is worried about this issue now (the rise of negative expectations for employment was indicated in the results of “Index of Expectations for Unemployment” in July 2018).
Among other issues, concern grew significantly over the past year for environmental degradation (14% in 2017 versus 25% in 2018) and rise in the crime rate (from 8% to 15%). However these indicators are likely leveling out at the 2012-2013 levels after the rise of social optimism in 2014-2017. In the past on several occasions, we have noted the substantial rise of public confidence in defense and law enforcement agencies (police, army, etc.), in light of which the public increasingly perceived everything to be all right in terms of protection against terrorist acts and crime.
The public is worried least (in terms of similar questions with numerous possible answers) about the situation in the Northern Caucasus, conflicts in the government, the spread of AIDS, and limitations of civil rights.
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ISSUES IN OUR SOCIETY WORRY YOU THE MOST, AND WHICH ARE THE MOST SEVERE? (respondents were shown a card from which they could choose more than one answer and/or write in their own; ranked in descending order according to August 2018)
| Jul. 98 | Jul. 00 | Jul. 05 | Jun. 08 | Aug. 13 | Aug. 14 | Aug. 16 | Aug. 17 | Aug. 18 | |
| Price increases | 40 | 83 | 71 | 82 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 61 | 72 |
| Poverty/impoverishment of the majority of the population | -* | – | 53 | 45 | 55 | 40 | 47 | 45 | 52 |
| Increase in unemployment | 65 | 51 | 39 | 25 | 36 | 26 | 37 | 33 | 48 |
| Corruption, bribery | 32 | 30 | 24 | 27 | 39 | 26 | 31 | 33 | 33 |
| Lack of access to various kinds of health care | – | – | 29 | 31 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 31 |
| Economic crisis, decrease in industrial and agricultural production | 57 | 39 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 30 |
| Extreme gap between the rich and poor, income inequality | 41 | 38 | 27 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 30 |
| Environmental degradation | 24 | 22 | 17 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 25 |
| Moral/cultural crisis | 26 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 30 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 21 |
| Increasing cost of/inaccessibility of education | – | – | 27 | 26 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 21 |
| Rise in drug use | – | – | 29 | 29 | 22 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 18 |
| Rise in crime rates | 50 | 53 | 29 | 27 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 15 |
| Tyrannical government officials | – | – | 9 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Influx of migrants/immigrants | – | – | 7 | 12 | 27 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Weakness of government authority | 37 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Lack of truth in the courts | – | – | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| Rise in nationalism, deterioration of interethnic relations | 13 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Rude/cruel police behavior | – | – | 6 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Disruptions in salary, pension, benefits and other payments | 67 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| The threat of explosions and other acts of terrorism where you live | – | 16 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 |
| Limits on civil rights and democratic freedoms (freedom of speech, freedom of the press) | – | – | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| An increased AIDS incidence rate | – | – | 6 | 7 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 4 |
| Conflicts between different government branches at various levels | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Terrorist attacks in Chechnya and the North Caucasus | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 3 |
| Other | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| It is difficult to say | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
* Option was not included in the list of possible answers.
Translated by Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies).
The ANO Levada Center has been forcibly included in the registry of non-commercial organizations acting as foreign agents. Read the Director of the Levada Center’s statement of disagreement with this decision here.