Russians’ three greatest fears revealed

A new poll asked people in Russia about their main worries heading into the New Year

The prospect of becoming seriously ill is the biggest worry of Russian people as they head into a new year, a new study by the NAFI research center and VSK Insurance House has revealed.

Almost one-third of the respondents said getting sick was their main fear, according to Russian media, the largest number of which were women and people living on their own.

Other worries currently bothering Russians include the cost of living (27%) and risks facing their children (26%).

The research was carried out in November, when 1,600 adults from all regions of the Russian Federation were asked for their views. The sample was selected to be demographically representative and coordinated with data from official government statistics.

The poll reveals that more than 90% of Russians have at least one major worry. However, around 70% of respondents said they expected a better year in 2024.

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Around one-quarter of the respondents said next year would be equally positive and negative, but 6% expected bad things in the coming 12 months. Only 7% of Russians felt they had nothing to fear at all.

Some 18% of people feared that there would be another pandemic next year, while 14% were afraid of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes. A total of 13% were worried about falling victim to scams.

Meanwhile, a separate poll last month showed that eight out of ten Russians feel they are more or less happy. According to data gathered by VCIOM (the Russian Public Opinion Research Center), more than a third of Russians consider themselves definitely happy, and almost half are more happy than not.

Last year’s NAFI polls showed that people were most afraid of inflation and price hikes, losing income, and severe illness.