Russian families’ adaptation to the conditions of limited consumption

This work is devoted to assessing the impact of economic sanctions in 2022 on the adaptive behavior of the population. The author examines directions of the adaptation strategies of people and their ideas about the opportunities to improve the financial situation of family. The information base is the representative sociological survey of the National Research University Higher School of Economics «Readiness for Change», conducted in September-October 2022 with a sample of 6,000 respondents. It is shown that adaptation of most respondents to new conditions is expressed in saving strategies and lowering consumption standards. In a such situation, adaptation means getting used to new conditions by reducing consumption standards for the majority of people. The main factors limiting consumer demand in the conditions of economic sanctions were the increased prices and unavailability of certain goods in stores and on Internet sites. According to the savings strategy, people reduce spending on travel, expensive clothing and entertainment. The availability of durable goods with a high import component has decreased: electronics, household appliances, cars, etc. The inability to pay for health-related purchases is becoming critical for the population. It should be noted that people perceive their future economic situation with optimism. For improving their financial situation, they plan to use active forms of adaptation related to increased employment. They declare strategies for finding additional work, obtaining a new specialty or additional education in the current specialty.