A typical respondent in this study is a young (averaging at 31 years of age) unmarried man without children (60% of respondents are single or divorced and59% are without children), with a median disposable monthly income per capita ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles. In 55% of the cases, the typical respondent has finished high school, and in 50% of the cases, they reside in medium-sized or large cities in the Ryazan, Tomsk, Tver, Tula, Vladimir, or Kaluga regions (Fig. 1).
Geographic coverage. The field study was conducted in Ryazan (270 questionnaires), Tomsk (216), Tver (154), Tula (145), and Vladimir (141). A substantial portion of questionnaires were collected in Moscow (1,004) from the respondents residing in other regions. This approach allowed for the inclusion of representatives from various regions, including national republics and the Far East.
The age structure of the sample deviates from the nationwide average, skewed toward younger age brackets, specifically 18- to 30-year-olds (Fig. 2). Here several factors may be at play. Young people make up the primary demographic of the armed forces; they are also the key target of the Russian state recruitment efforts; and, on top of that, they are less skeptical about participating in surveys compared with older generations.
Income level. In the survey, respondents reported their disposable income independently of other family members’ income. The survey shows that the per-capita income level in the sample was above the national average, with two in three respondents stating an income of over 50,000 rubles and 34% reporting an income of upward of 100,000 rubles (Fig. 3).
Since the typical respondent in this study is a young unmarried man without children (the average age of 31 years; 60% single or divorced and 59% without children), it can be assumed that the income level they reported reflects individual income rather than the household income. On the other hand, 41% have one or more children, and 33% are married. Compared with the distribution of per-capita incomes in Russia according to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), the survey sample is skewed toward the more affluent demographics (Fig. 4).
