Russians Named Rising Prices, Housing And Utilities Tariffs And VAT As The Most Important Event Of The Year

23.12.2025, 20:20
1,082

Survey.

Inflation remains the number one problem for Russians. In the traditional pre-New Year's poll of the Levada Center on the main events of the outgoing year, the maximum number of answers (34%) to the question about the most important event of the year got the answer "rising prices, housing and utilities tariffs, VAT, and scrappage duty," reports The Moscow Times.

It surpassed the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska (29%), drone attacks on cities and businesses (28%), and mobile internet shutdowns and blocking of messengers (25%).

Putin's meeting with Trump had not only symbolic significance - breaking the isolation from Western countries - but also promised hope for the end of the war. However, more important for Russians were utility tariffs (they rose by 11.9%), the abolition of scrappage benefits and inflation in general.

It, combined with other economic problems, is almost always one of the top five major events of the year. In 2020, the pandemic overshadowed everything (39%), while "rising prices, unemployment, falling wages, economic crisis" was in third place (8%). In 2021 inflation did not enter the top 5, in 2022 with 26% returned to the fifth line (people considered war, mobilization, annexation of four regions of Ukraine and coronavirus more important), and next year, along with the collapse of the ruble, became the event of the year (38%). However, last year, the rise in prices was not included in the top 5.

In a similar poll by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), the war ranked first (11%), the peace talks initiated by Trump ranked second, and the "rise in prices and tariffs" along with many other options (including higher taxes and fees) scored 1%. This poll is open-ended: people are not offered answer options, and 60% answered nothing.

Russians have always put material well-being first. "The main sign of a "Great Power" is the welfare of the people, to live by the same standards as in "normal countries" (i.e. as "in the West"). And this desire has only grown stronger in 20 years," Lev Gudkov, former director of the Levada Center, wrote in a poll on what constitutes a "Great Power." But people feel almost no increase in prosperity.

The November FOM poll showed that Russians are getting worse at assessing their financial situation and more gloomy about its prospects. The share of those complaining about a worsening financial situation reached 25%, the highest since 2022, with only 8% reporting an improvement. In September, when asked to compare the growth of their incomes and prices, the vast majority said that their incomes were growing no faster than prices ("incomes were not growing, but prices were growing" - 41%), "incomes were growing slower than prices" - 38%).

According to Rosstat, inflation has been declining in recent months: from more than 10% at the beginning of the year, it fell to 6.6% in November. However, Russians estimate it to be twice as high, regular FOM polls commissioned by the Central Bank show. In early December, respondents estimated price growth over the past year at 14.5% and expected inflation of 13.7% for the next 12 months. The longer inflation deviates from the target, the less people believe in its return to low levels, Central Bank Chairman Elvira Nabiullina admitted.

2025, according to those polled by the Levada Center, turned out to be a difficult year both for the country and for them personally. Almost half (48%) believe that it was more difficult for Russia than 2024, and only 10% believe that it was easier. Estimates of what the year was like for them personally are better, but negative ones prevail: 38% called it more difficult than last year, and only 13% said it was easier.

PATREON Support the website

Write your comment 2

Russians Named Rising Prices, Housing And Utilities Tariffs And VAT As The Most Important Event Of The Year

Follow Charter97.org social media accounts

Interview

Opinion