Another Revenant from the Soviet Past: ‘Feeling of Deep Gratitude’ Comes Back to Russia

Paul Goble

            Staunton, January 16 – In Brezhnev’s times, Russians often observed that unlike people elsewhere, they had not five senses but six, a reference to the Soviet leader’s frequent use of the phrase, “with a feeling of deep gratitude,” at the start of speeches, thus sending a message of how those living under his rule were supposed to feel as well.

            Now, Marina Yudkevich of the IdelReal portal says, a new study by the Russian government’s Financial University (fa.ru/Documents/78_Life_Satisfaction_2018.pdf)provides evidence that “this mysterious sixth sense as before is alive in Russian minds to the amazement of the rest of rational humanity” (idelreal.org/a/29713139.html).

            Researchers from that university surveyed Russians in 76 mid-sized and small Russians about their attitudes and expectations.  Despite reporting that the real incomes of Russians had risen only 0.4 percent in the last year, a figure that could be expected to induce pessimist, Yudkevich says, those surveyed were upbeat, even without “an inspiring national idea.”

            Perhaps, she suggests, Russians have become upbeat because of Vladimir Putin’s promise that in case of a nuclear war, they will go directly to heaven while everyone else will go directly to the other place. But, of course, being pleased about departing this life is a question of nationally-specific taste. Russians at least appear pleased.

            Those surveyed were asked: “On the whole, how satisfied are you with your life? Are you confident about what tomorrow will bring?”  Eighty-two percent said they were completely or largely satisfied with their life and 62 percent said they were completely or mostly confident about the future.

            Perhaps not surprisingly, the place where the first number was highest was Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, where it stood at 88 percent. In other regions, the figures about current satisfaction and future expectations were lower.  The divisions by sector of employment were even more pronounced than by geography, however.

            “The very highest (87 percent) share of those confident in a bright ‘future of your enterprise’ were found among toilers in ‘government administration, social security, law enforcement and security.’” Only a little lower were the positive feelings among those engaged in “’financial activity.’” There, the optimists were 79 percent.

            At the very bottom in terms of optimism were those working in science and research. Of people employed there, 45 percent said that they “do not believe in the future of their work.”  Perhaps, Yudkevich suggests, they are “too smart” to be grateful for what they don’t expect to get.