Economic crisis and war in Ukraine – happiness index in Russia falls to lowest level in 15 years

A key indicator of Russian public well-being fell to its lowest level in 15 years in April, independent media outlet Agentstvo reported, citing data from the Russian State Center for Public Opinion Research (VTsIOM). The so-called happiness index fell to 52 points, down from 56 at the end of March.

The index measures the difference between the share of respondents who answer “yes” versus those who answer “no” to the question: “Life has its ups and downs, but overall, would you say you are happy?” A higher number indicates greater self-reported well-being.

In April, 74% of respondents answered yes, compared to 22% who said no. In March, these figures were 76% and 20%, respectively, Novaya Gazeta reports.

This is the lowest figure since September 2011, when the index reached 41 points. At that time, 66% of respondents described themselves as happy, compared to 25% who did not, Agentstvo noted.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the index had hovered between 58 and 73 points, peaking in March 2023. The current decline began in February, when it fell to 55 points.

Fluctuations in the index tend to follow economic crises, VTsIOM director Valery Fyodorov noted in 2022. Russians are generally willing to describe themselves as happy, he argued, as long as they have sufficient income, a stable family life and good health.

"The least happy are those who are most engaged with the political news cycle – people who read or watch opposition media and are dissatisfied with Putin's performance. This group has the highest levels of dissatisfaction," the sociologist said.

The latest decline comes as Russia's economic outlook worsens. On Tuesday, the country's Ministry of Economic Development sharply revised its GDP growth forecast for 2026 — from 1.3% to just 0.4%.

The GeoPost