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Kremlin rationally evaluates standard of Russians’ well-being, knows how to make it better

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged to evaluate the statistics accurately, because they sometimes change "literally the next day"

MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. The Russian Presidential administration rationally evaluates the standard of Russians’ well-being and knows how to improve it, Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, commenting on Rosstat data that 48.2% of Russians only have enough money for food and clothing.

"We rationally evaluate this," he noted. "We see and understand what is happening, but the main thing is that the country’s leadership clearly knows what needs to be done to change this trend towards a positive result," he added.

"Certainly, many organizations involved in statistics acknowledge the general decline of incomes, including Rosstat," Peskov said. "You cannot always understand this or that information, although this is a general background that is under our close attention. The process itself is known, of course, it raises concern, but a whole range of measures is being implemented to correct the situation," he added.

At the same time, Peskov urged to evaluate the statistics accurately, because they sometimes change "literally the next day."

According to him, national projects are expected to give positive dynamics to the economy and the level of citizens' well-being. "This is not about a deferred effect, but about specific results that people will feel this year," Peskov noted.

Speaking about the reasons for the situation, he mentioned the international situation, global trade wars, and anti-Russian sanctions, as well as processes in the Russian economy. "Given that, in general, the macroeconomic situation is maintained in an absolutely stable condition," he said.

According to the study by the Russian State Statistics Service (Rosstat) on distribution of households to assess their financial situation in the Q4 of 2018, 32.3% of Russians can afford the purchase of durable goods, while 48.2% of the country's residents only have enough money for food and clothing. At the same time, out of 48,000 respondents, 14.9% indicated that they did not have enough money to buy clothes, and it was difficult to pay for utility services; 0.7% of respondents said that they do not have enough money even for food. According to Rosstat, only 32.3% of surveyed Russians can afford to buy a car, an apartment or a dacha.

Compared to 2017, the situation somewhat improved: in the Q4 of 2017, 49.8% of respondents said that they had enough money for food and clothing, but they could not afford to buy durable goods. In addition, 18% of Russians in 2017 noted that they experienced financial difficulties when paying for housing and communal services or buying clothes.