Russians Now So Pessimistic They’ve Cut Back on Purchases to Have Funds If the Situation Gets Even Worse, ‘Important Stories’ Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 27 – Russians are now so pessimistic about the future that they’ve cut back on purchases so as to have funds if the situation gets even worse and they either lose their jobs or have their hours cut back, according to a variety of surveys and expert interviews reviewed by the Important Stories portal.

            But such behavior is making the situation even worse because even though incomes are rising and inflation makes purchases sooner more rational, flat or even declining consumer demand makes any recovery less likely (istories.media/opinions/2026/04/27/pochemu-rossiyane-ekonomyat-yesli-ofitsialno-ikh-dokhodi-rastut/).

            Russians are now worried that the country’s economic decline will either cost them their jobs or their paid hours and that they won’t be able to respond by getting new positions. In many cases, there are already more applicants per position than was the case only a few months ago.

            Among the many surveys the portal sites is a report prepared by the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences which found that this pessimism now touches all socio-economic groups and thus casts a dark shadow on the entire economy rather than just particular segments (ecfor.ru/publication/kvartalnyj-prognoz-vvp-vypusk-69/).