Subjective Well-Being and Political Attitude: Observations from Social Surveys

Abstract

This paper examined trends in subjective well-being and political situations in Russia, paying special attention to the period of economic stagnation since the introduction of economic sanction after Crimean incidence.

It may be unclear whether or not the approval rate of current political bodies in Russia is stable in the long run. Deterioration in macroeconomic situations, however, did not play a critical role in the worsening of political circumstances. Additionally, the decline in economic activity related to sluggish oil prices and economic sanctions seemed to have bottomed out, therefore it is unlikely that the economic or political situations would deteriorate sharply in the short term. In this sense, the years of 2014–2016 may have shown the stability of the political system in Russia.