Only 2% of Russians Concerned Over Ruble's Collapse ?€“ Poll

By The Moscow Times

March 31, 2015

A vendor (L) sells eggs at a food market in the Russian southern city of Stavropol. Eduard Korniyenko / Reuters

Only 2 percent of Russians count the ruble's collapse among the most important issues facing their country, according to a recent survey by state pollster VTsIOM.

When asked the question "Which problems do you believe are the most important for the country as a whole?" 21 percent of respondents chose "the economy," 17 percent chose "high inflation," and 13 percent chose "external politics."

The ruble tied with "roads" and lost out to "high utilities fees," which upset 3 percent of respondents.

The ruble has fallen around 40 percent to the U.S. dollar and over 20 percent to the euro since the start of last year, thanks to a collapse in global oil prices and Western sanctions over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis. The ruble's slump has also caused a rise in the cost of imports that has helped boost inflation to almost 17 percent in March. ?

VTsIOM's survey polled 1,600 people in 46 Russian regions between March 21 and March 22. The margin of error was 3.5 percent.?

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