Russians are not concerned about Western sanctions

Russians’ concern about sanctions continues to decline. 33% of respondents are concerned about sanctions (compared to 43% in November), while 64% are not very concerned or not concerned at all (compared to 56% in November).

Over the past year, the number of people who believe that sanctions affect the broader population has decreased from 67% in March 2022 to 52% in March 2023. On the other hand, the number of people who believe that sanctions only affect a narrow circle of individuals responsible for what is happening in Ukraine has increased from 26% to 36%.

78% of Russians believe that sanctions have not caused them significant problems. Only 6% of respondents acknowledged severe issues related to sanctions.

Most people in Russia – 57% – believe that sanctions will strengthen the country and stimulate development. This assessment is typical for all age groups.

The older the age group of respondents, the more supporters of the positive impact of sanctions:

18-24 years – 47%;

25-39 years – 52%;

40-54 years – 58%;

Fifty-five years and older – 64%.

Another 21% of Russians believe that sanctions will not affect Russia.

Methodology: The all-Russian Levada Center survey was conducted on March 23-29, 2023, on a representative all-Russian sample of urban and rural population of 1,633 people aged 18 and over in 137 settlements, 50 regions of the Russian Federation. The survey is conducted at the respondent’s home using the personal interview method. The distribution of answers is given in percentages of the total number.