Russia’s happiness index falls to lowest level in 15 years, state pollster finds

A key measure of Russian public wellbeing fell to a 15-year low in April, independent outlet Agentstvo reports, citing data from the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM). The so-called happiness index dropped to 52 points, down from 56 in late March.

The index measures the difference between the share of respondents who answer “yes” versus those who answer “no” to the question: “Life has its ups and downs, but overall, would you say you're happy?” A higher figure indicates greater self-reported wellbeing.

In April, 74% of respondents answered yes, compared with 22% who said no. In March, those figures stood at 76% and 20%, respectively.

The reading is the lowest since September 2011, when the index hit 41 points. At that time, 66% of respondents described themselves as happy, versus 25% who did not, Agentstvo noted.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the index had held between 58 and 73 points, peaking in March 2023. The current decline began in February, when it slipped to 55 points.

Swings in the index tend to track economic crises, VTsIOM director Valery Fyodorov noted in 2022. Russians are broadly willing to describe themselves as happy, he argued, as long as they have an adequate income, a stable family life, and decent health.

“The least happy are those most engaged with the political news cycle — people who read or watch opposition media and are dissatisfied with Putin's performance. That group has the highest levels of unhappiness,” the sociologist said.

The latest decline comes as Russia's economic outlook deteriorates. On Tuesday, the country’s Economic Development Ministry sharply revised its GDP growth forecast for 2026 downward — from 1.3% to just 0.4%.