Page 37 - RusRPTFeb19

Crimea and Sevastopol in 2014. Nevertheless the growth in the core population was impressive and largely due to a maternity policy put in place by the Kremlin that outperformed even the most optimistic forecasts by the likes of the UN. The population is falling now as the crash in life expectancy and low birthrates from the early 1990s are hitting the demographic curve and the falls will continue for several years. In Russia, the decline in population has accelerated. Now, out of almost 146.8mn Russians, 109.45mn live in cities, and 37.34mn in rural areas. Moscow is the most densely populated region with 12.63mn people registered in the capital.
Government’s ratings continue to fall. According to a Levada Center poll taken in December, 53% of Russians would like to see the government step down. Pension reform is a major source of discontent, but this poll shows the impact of economic realities as well. The top two complaints among the discontented are the cabinet’s inability to deal with rising prices and falling personal income and unemployment. Social policy comes in third. The regime is hoping anger about pension reform will blow over soon, and it might — but until the government can reliably provide a higher standard of living it will periodically face crises of confidence.
Russians are ashamed of the “eternal poverty” of their country. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of superpower status was a humiliating experience, which president Vladimir Putin has played on with actions like the annexation of Crimea and the war in Syria, to restore some sense of national pride. However, a poll from independent pollster the Levada Center this month found that Russians continue to be ashamed of their “eternal poverty” and living standards that are behind many of the countries of the developed world. Russians take pride in their country’s history and the past (53% versus 37% in mid-2015), the country’s territory (35% versus 44%) and place of birth (33% versus 41%) the poll found. The events which Russians have the greatest pride in are all fading into history and include: 87% of respondents said victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII), 50% of
37 RUSSIA Country Report February 2019 www.intellinews.com