Features of the financial behavior of the Russian population during the pandemic

The economic events of 2020, associated with rising unemployment and declining income levels, have become factors in changing the financial strategies of many Russians in terms of consumer, savings and credit behavior. Today, as before, the population of Russia has an orientation towards the formation of savings “for a rainy day”, while the pandemic and the accompanying partial or complete loss of income only strengthened the belief in the need for savings, which can increase financial security in conditions of external instability. The study assesses the features of the financial behavior of the Russian population during the pandemic based on an analysis of the dynamics of income, the dynamics and structure of expenses and savings of the Russian population in the period 2019-2021. It has been established that in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, there was a slowdown in the growth rate of the total income of the population of Russia. The volume of savings of the population in 2020 against the background of the pandemic more than doubled to 5.8 trillion rubles. rub., and in 2021 decreased to 3.0 trillion. rub. As a result, the pandemic has had an impact on the financial behavior of the population, increasing the propensity to save, which is due not only to a reduction in potential spending areas due to restrictive measures, but is also a consequence of growing anxiety among the population and understanding of the need to create a reserve for a rainy day. Therefore, we can conclude that the propensity to save still prevails in the financial strategy of the population.