Most Russians have nothing to save

Less than a half of Russians (33%) have savings. In comparison with 2010, the number of savers has increased by nine percent. The Russians interpret the term "savings" depending on subjective notions about the amount of saved funds.

Sixty-three percent of the people, who took part in the poll conducted by the National Agency of Financial Research, said that they had no savings at all.

According to experts' estimates, the Russians were saving less than they can do now during the years before the crisis. In January 2007, 28 percent of the polled said that they had savings (26 percent - in 2008).

"The financial crisis disciplined the people, who faced the problem of income instability," Yulia Barabanova, a researcher said.

Twenty-nine percent said that they were saving money just to be on the safe side. They do not save to buy apartments or cars for themselves. Many Russians are not certain of their future, so they have no specific goals for their savings.

According to the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), the Russians presumably fear terrorist acts (90%), natural disasters (85%) and the growth of prices on essential goods (83%).

In Russian regions, the people are mostly concerned about the growth of prices on essential goods (80%). Many are also concerned about the economic crisis (68%).

Up to 70 percent of Russians do not make any savings. Twenty percent of the polled said that they were saving both money and food.

"We could say that during the Soviet times, people were saving up for apartments, their children's education and weddings, whereas nowadays, they can hardly imagine their own life in ten or twelve years. They are also not certain whether their savings will be actually saved," sociologist Igor Zadorin said.

It is worthy of note that the respondents could deliberately either underestimate the amount of their savings or reject them completely. When asked, which sums of money could be referred to as savings, the respondents named amounts from 10 to 200 thousand rubles ($350-$7,000).

Specialists of Joblist.ru website conducted another research to find out whether the Russians were making enough to maintain their families. The questions included such articles of spending as good nutrition, clothes, household appliances and good holidays.

Seventy-seven percent of Russians said that they could afford ultimate nutrition for their families. However, more than a half of the polled said that buying new clothes was problematic for them. Fifty-four percent of the polled said they had enough money for clothes as well.

Only twenty-percent of the polled said that they could purchase household appliances freely, when they needed, and without loans. Only every tenth Russian said that they could always afford nice vacations for themselves and their families.

Twenty-three percent of the polled said that they lived worse than in Russia on the average. They live from one pay day to another, and they often have to raise loans from banks.

Vladimir Shabanov.