Threats of a decline in the standard of living of the Russian population

In addition to imperfections in the country’s socio-economic policy, economic crises also contribute to the decline in living standards: the global crisis of 2008, the crisis amid political conflict and sanctions in 2014, and another crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2019-2020, all have a significant negative impact on the economy, contributing to the decline in the ruble and slowing economic growth. As a consequence, there is a surge in unemployment and poverty rates, and real incomes and living standards are declining. The study assesses the trends in changes in the standard of living of the Russian population in the current economic environment. It is revealed that today the country maintains a fairly low standard of living: despite the nominal growth, real average per capita incomes have not received a significant increase in the last 7 years and are practically at the level of 2014, while against the background of crisis phenomena in the economy there was a widespread increase in prices. Despite the upward trend in the share of population groups with higher incomes, a fairly high level of poverty indicates a significant socio-economic differentiation of the population, which is only getting worse against the backdrop of a series of economic crises. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, which has become a threat to the growth of poverty, there have been closures of some businesses, a decline in real incomes, and an increase in unemployment. All this contributes to the growth of poverty and bankruptcy among Russians, while the degree of government involvement in the provision of social support to the poor and vulnerable segments of the population is minimal.