Russian Economy Split Between Surging and Stagnating Sectors and So are Attitudes of Russians about the Future, Academy of Sciences Study Reports

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Dec. 17 – Many want to evaluate the Russian economy as a whole rather than recognize that the Russian economy is split between sectors that are booming, mostly those funded by the government for its war in Ukraine, and others which are stagnant or even declining, most of those driven by consumer spending, Mikhail Sergeyev says in a discussion of new research by the Academy of Sciences.
    And these observers make a similar mistake in evaluating Russian attitudes about the future, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta economics reporter says, forgetting that those who are benefitting have positive attitudes while those who aren’t have negative ones (ng.ru/economics/2024-12-17/1_9158_problem.html).
    In general, these second differences follow generational lines, Sergeyev continues, with older workers being more likely to be in the government-funded industries and younger ones struggling in those driven by consumer spending. As a result, older Russians tend to be more optimistic about the future than younger ones.
    These differences, he adds, help to explain why older Russians are more in favor of the war in Ukraine and its continuation than are younger ones who see the war as depressing their prospects and the prospects of the Russian Federation in the future.