For the majority of respondents, 2022 turned out to be more difficult than the previous one, it seemed more difficult “for the country” than for the respondents personally. By many indicators, 2020, 1998 and the first half of the 1990s seemed more difficult for Russians at the time than the outgoing 2022. The majority rated it as “average”, a third – as “bad”. At the same time, more than half of respondents called 2022 a successful year for themselves, and a third called it unsuccessful. Among the main events of the year, respondents noted the “special operation” and related events. The respondents were also asked to name the person of the year, the main film and TV series of the year.
About half of Russians (53%) called the outgoing year more difficult for their family than the previous one (a year ago there were 44% of such people). 76% called the outgoing year more difficult for the country (55% a year ago). At the same time, so far the most difficult years in the perception of Russians were 1998 and 2020, as well as the early 1990s.
The majority of respondents (55%) rated the outgoing year as “average” (in 2021 – 59%), another 30% of respondents called it bad (in 2021 – 28%); 14% called 2022 a good year. Of course, 2020 and 1998 were “bad” (this question was not asked earlier).
At the same time, 57% of respondents called the outgoing year successful for themselves (53% – last year), a third (32%) — unsuccessful (36% – last year). The end of the 1990s turned out to be the most unsuccessful (the question was not asked earlier).
About half (46%) of respondents noted the “special operation” in Ukraine as the main event of the year. 34% consider the partial mobilization announced in September to be the most important event, another third (32%) — the accession of the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to Russia. Coronavirus, which has remained the main event over the past two years, has receded into the background this year, it was noted by about 30% of respondents. Only one in ten respondents named the World Cup among the important events of the year, 6% – criminal sentences for well–known opposition politicians, 3% – the award of the Nobel Prize to human rights defenders from the Russian Memorial (declared an NGO-foreign agent in Russia).
The majority of respondents once again named Vladimir Putin as the “Person of the Year” (48% this year, last year – only 26%, in 2020 – 33%). Sergey Lavrov is in second place (8%), Mikhail Mishustin, Alexander Lukashenko and Sergei Shoigu are in third place (7% each).
In 2021, the majority of Russians note a deterioration in such areas as: relations with Western countries and NATO (82%), the general standard of living (49%), the work of medical institutions (40%), the opportunity to earn well (39%). In such areas as the influence of ordinary people on state affairs, the ability to freely express their opinions, personal security, fairness in the distribution of benefits, most Russians have not seen significant changes.
METHODOLOGY
The survey by the Levada Center was conducted December 15 – 21 2022, among a representative sample of all Russian urban and rural residents. The sample was comprised of 1611 people aged 18 or older in 137 municipalities of 50 regions of the Russian Federation. The survey was conducted as a personal interview in respondents’ homes.x The distribution of responses is given as a percentage of the total number of respondents.
The statistical error of these studies for a sample 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%
The ANO Levada Center is included in the registry of non-commercial organizations acting as foreign agents.