Around 80% of Russians satisfied with living standards

[Kshasty]

Almost 80% of Russians are completely or mostly satisfied with their living standards, according to a survey released on Tuesday by a major Russian insurance company.

The Western Siberian region of Tyumen topped the rankings with 81% of residents at least mostly happy with life, just beating the capital, where 80% of Muscovites professed satisfaction with their living standards.

Research conducted by the state-owned Rosgosstrakh insurance company in 138 Russian cities and towns showed that most people who are happy with their living standards reside in Russia's large cities and in cities which main industries are oil production and refining, such as Tyumen and Khanty-Mansiysk in Tyumen Region and Nizhnekamsk and Elabuga in Tatarstan.

Around the capital, 73% of Moscow Region residents are also satisfied with their lives, while in the second city of St. Petersburg the figure is 78%.

The research established that even in cities with the lowest percentage of people satisfied with living standards the number still exceeds 50% and that overall in Russia it stays at the same high level of 78%.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100309/158135175.html

[ParkieDem]

1. I must say that's surprising.

My image of Russia is a downtrodden people, still recovering from several decades (if not centuries) of totalitarian repression and general outlook on life that is, to a large extent, negative by culture. Given rampant alcoholism there, along with massively reduced life expectancy, i'm very surprised by these numbers.