Russians Would Like to Have More Children but Don’t Feel They Can Afford to Have Them, New Polls Suggest

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Feb. 26 – A series of new polls show that more Russians would like to have three or more children, an apparent indication that Putin’s pro-natalist propaganda is working, but they also show that fewer Russians are choosing to do so, the result of the demographic transition and the sense they have that they can’t afford to.
    That divergence, which journalist Olga Solovyeva considers in a new article for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (ng.ru/economics/2025-02-25/1_9200_dream.html) is not surprising. It reflects both the natural desire of many Russians to have more children and the impact of pro-natalist propaganda and policies on what they tell pollsters.
    But this divergence between desires and practice may have some extremely negative consequences for the Putin regime because it will likely lead to increasing anger among Russians who may now be counted on to focus on this divergence and recognize that it is Kremlin policies that are preventing them from doing what they and the Kremlin say they want.