Support The Moscow Times!

1 in 2 Russians Say They’re Ready to Join Pension Protests — Poll

Vladimir Smirnov / TASS

Over half of the Russian population is willing to protest government plans to raise the retirement age, according to a new survey published by the independent Levada Center pollster.

The government introduced draft legislation on June 14 that proposed raising the pension age for men and women by five years — to 65 and 63 years respectively. The Communist Party staged nationwide protests against the planned reform on Sunday, with more rallies — organized by opposition leader Alexei Navalny — expected on Sunday, Sept. 9.

According to the pollster’s results published Monday, 53 percent of Russian respondents said they are willing to take to the streets to protest against the pension reform.

Last month, 37 percent of respondents told Levada that they were willing to protest the reform while 53 percent said they were not.

Meanwhile, three-quarters told Levada in the latest poll that they would vote in favor of keeping the current pension age if the question was raised in a referendum.

Russian authorities, including Putin, argue that leaving the retirement age unchanged is unsustainable for the national economy.

The Russian president issued a televised address to the nation last Wednesday in favor of the reform in which he also proposed reducing the retirement age increase for women by three years — from 63 to 60.

Levada sociologist Denis Volkov told the RBC news website that Putin’s address was unlikely to ease public discontent with pension reform, but “could help them accept it.”

The Levada poll was carried out among 1,600 respondents in 52 Russian regions between Aug. 23 and Aug. 30.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more