18% of Russians only have enough money for food
After buying food and paying for other vital needs, 18% of Russians are now left without a penny. Even in the crisis year of 2009, there were only 4–7% of these, reports RBC, citing Rosstat and sociologists from the Nielsen company.
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The rapid rise in prices and the worsening situation on the labor market have led to the fact that almost every fifth Russian (18%) now has only enough income to pay for food and other vital needs. The Nielsen company report calls this an anti-record - even in the crisis year of 2009, only 4-7% of Russians declared a complete lack of free money.
At the end of March 2015, Rosstat reported that real disposable income of Russians (income minus mandatory payments adjusted for inflation) was declining for the fifth month in a row - the last time their year-on-year increase was noted in October 2014.
Worse, since the beginning of 2015, the decline in real incomes of Russians has been accelerating every month: in January 2015 they fell by 0,8% year-on-year, in February by 1,6%, and in March by 1,8%. In general, according to the results of the first quarter of 2015, real incomes of the Russian population decreased by 1,4%, while for the whole of 2014 - by 0,8%.
Due to falling incomes, even those Russians who still have money left after paying utility bills and shopping for groceries are cutting back on spending on everything that does not fall into the category of essentials. 2015% of Russians reported a decrease in spending on entertainment in the first quarter of 55; every second person (50%) is now saving on clothing; 48% of respondents have reduced spending on vacations. The same number (48%) intend to switch to cheaper brands when purchasing products; at the end of 2014, only 39% agreed to this.
Only 21% of Russians consider the current situation favorable for large purchases - this is the lowest figure in the last ten years.
There is no mention of the situation in Crimea in the Nielsen study, but it is known that, with the exception of officials, the military, security forces and some employees of budgetary institutions, salaries in Crimea remain lower than the Russian average, and prices for a number of commodity items are significantly higher than in Russian outback. Many Crimeans are able to survive due to the still relatively low housing and communal services tariffs and public transport tariffs compared to the rest of Russia.
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