New Year decorations in Moscow, 11 December. Photo: EPA-EFE/SERGEI ILNITSKY
A total of 70% of Russians thought 2024 was a “difficult” year for the country on the whole, a survey published by the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Centre on Wednesday has found.
By contrast, 23% of those surveyed said the year had been a “successful and positive” one, while 7% had difficulty answering, the survey conducted on 6 December among 1,600 Russians aged 18 years and over revealed.
This marks the 17th year in a row that over half of Russians surveyed have considered the outgoing year difficult. According to the centre’s data, the only two years in the past 20 that Russians have felt positive about were 2006 and 2007.
Russians expressed their greatest discontent in 2009, the year after the financial crisis; 2015, the year after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine; 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic; and 2022, the first year of full-scale war against Ukraine.
That said, Russians remain optimistic, according to the latest survey, with only 40% expecting 2025 to be a bad year for the country. Last year, 33% of respondents expected 2024 to be a difficult year, yet 70% ended up calling it that in reality.
Another poll held by independent research project Chronicles in October revealed that over half of Russians who support Vladimir Putin were open to peace negotiations in Ukraine and overwhelmingly reported wanting the Kremlin to focus on domestic policy, with 83% stating it should shift its focus to “domestic social and economic issues”.
