Lack of financial resources remains the key difficulty for Russian families. According to a recent Levada Center poll, when asked “what currently complicates your family’s life the most,” 48% of respondents chose “low income.” This was the most popular answer by a wide margin, far ahead of the second-place “poor health and difficulties with treatment” (30%).
Official statistics record an increase in well-being: last year, real incomes rose by 7.7%, and the poverty level dropped to 6.7%. However, the subjective perception of the population is radically different. The severity of the problem increases with age: among young people (18–24), 32% complain about income, while in the 40–54 age group, it is exactly 50%, and among those over 55, it reaches 52%.
The study revealed a catastrophic gap in the assessment of the subsistence level:
- Public Opinion: To ensure a “normal life” in February, an income of 43,800 rubles per person was required.
- Rosstat Standard: The official poverty line is set at 17,100 rubles (2.5 times lower).
- Reality: Rosstat’s own data confirms that nearly 40% of Russians had incomes last year below this subjective survival threshold of 43,800 rubles.
Analytical summary: The data confirms a profound disconnect between macroeconomic reports and the social well-being of citizens. The official reduction in poverty occurs through the manipulation of standards, while the real consumer basket costs several times more. For the EU and international observers, this is a clear signal: mobilization-driven income growth (payments to the military and the defense industry) does not compensate for inflation for the majority of the population. The Russian economy faces a paradox: formal GDP growth is accompanied by a mass feeling of impoverishment, which creates hidden social tension and limits the potential of the domestic market.