The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) has conducted a public opinion poll to find out the significance of material and financial reserves for Russian people.
According to its findings, 66% of respondents did not save money in case of crisis situations. 22% of respondents save money, 19% stock up products. 13% of respondents said that they create stocks of essential goods, while 8% stock up shoes and clothes.
Speaking about the obligations of the state, the majority of Russians (96%) said that the authorities should provide the population with food, essential commodities and fuel in case of crisis situations. The respondents believe that the state must have medications (99%), food (98%), cash and foreign exchange reserves (93%), as well as petroleum products, raw materials for industry, machinery and equipment (92%) to ensure the national security.
In general, 51% of Russians are aware of the Russian state reserve, 60% of respondents are aware of the financial reserves.
Answering the question when the funds should be allocated from the state reserve, the majority named man-made disasters, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and other emergencies (83%), problems with the heating and supply of products, essential goods and fuel (74%) as well as wars and mobilization (71%).
57% of respondents said that the state material reserve should be used to support strategic enterprises, involved in the implementation of the state defense order and government programs.
According to 56% of the respondents, the reserve should be used in the case of growing prices for essential commodities, 55% believe that the reserves can be put into play in the event of a crisis situation in the major sectors of the economy. Only 27% believe that the state reserves may be sent as aid to foreign countries.
58% of respondents approved the use of reserves to support the south-east of Ukraine, 40% were against it. 45% of the respondents approved an assistance to CIS countries, 40% disapproved. 60% opposed the aid of the material reserve funds to countries outside the CIS.
The survey was conducted in 130 population centers in 46 regions and 9 federal districts of the country on May 18-27.
An associate professor of Stock Markets and Financial Engineering of RANEPA, Vasiliy Yakimkin, speaking with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, said that Russians can confidently rely on the state aid till the end of 2017.
"Until the end of the next year there would be enough state reserves, especially in the case of skillful spending. The state can also save on some articles and to stretch reserves till any date in 2018, probably until the presidential elections," the expert expects.
Professor of the RANEPA faculty of Finance, Money Circulation and Credit, Yuri Yudenkov, is more optimistic. The expert pointed out that the reserves are not only spent, but also replenished on the daily basis, which means that in the future they will not be entirely spent.
"Even if we take the most extreme option, when we just spend the remaining reserves, this money will be enough for two and a half years in the case of the current consumption. But Russia is not just sitting idly by, it is working. It is possible that there will be no need to use reserves due to effective work. I should remind you that the main objective of reserves is the purchase of unique technologies, products and machines that we do not produce yet. In this sense we shouldn't worry, we have more than enough reserves," Yuri Yudenkov assured.
