Politicians and Bankers Lead List of Professions Russians Feel are Overpaid

Paul Goble

            Staunton, March 8 – Russians say that politicians and bankers are paid too much, with 79 percent saying that of politicians and 61 percent saying that of bankers, according to a survey of 20,500 residents in 28 countries including 500 in the Russian Federation that was conducted by the IPSOS Company. Only 10 percent said they received only what they deserved.

            Russian attitudes toward the pay of people in these two professions are roughly similar to those in other countries, although Russians are somewhat more negative about bankers. According to IPSOS, 74 percent of people internationally say politicians are overpaid, and 41 percent say the same thing of bankers (rbc.ru/society/08/03/2021/6044ba1b9a7947b0473929f5).

            Concerning other groups, 25 percent of Russians said they believe the police get too much money, and 14 percent said the same of computer programmers. At the other end of the scale, 71 percent said those who help the elderly or those with limited abilities receive too little as did some two-thirds of the sample about the salaries of those who look after children.

            The survey found that 62 percent of Russians think bookkeepers are paid what they merit, 60 percent said the same thing about computer engineers, and 57 percent responded that way about sales clerks and assistants in stores.