Gallup Poll Finds Record Share of Russians View Economy as Worsening

A Gallup poll published Tuesday found that 60 percent of Russians described economic conditions as getting worse, up from 39 percent last year and the first time pessimism has represented the majority view since the poll began two decades ago. Only 27 percent said conditions were improving, while 56 percent reported their living standards were worsening, also a record high.

The survey showed 58 percent of respondents viewing the current period as a bad time to find a job, the highest share since 2021. The same poll recorded a rising share of Russians losing confidence in national institutions, including the military and the government.

An 18-minute video posted to Instagram in April by an influencer living in Monaco received about 32 million views and 1.7 million likes. The video listed complaints about government handling of flooding in southern Russia, rising inflation, and tax increases.

The video also noted a government decision last year to raise the value-added tax from 20 percent to 22 percent, a step some viewed as departing from an earlier pledge not to increase taxes before 2030. Reports indicate the higher tax has weighed on employment and contributed to small-business closures.

A report published earlier this month by the Kiel Institute stated that Russia's liquid sovereign wealth fund assets have fallen to 1.8 percent of GDP from 6.5 percent at the start of the war. The same report said the government's target budget deficit for the year was exceeded in the first quarter.

Oil and gas revenues dropped 45 percent in the first three months of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Kiel Institute analysis. An economist quoted in the report said labor shortages and sanctions limiting imports of critical components now constrain output more than access to funding.