MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. The special military operation, just like last year, was the most noteworthy event of 2023 for Russians, according to the findings of a new poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), which the pollster presented at a press conference.

"The special military operation in Ukraine was the main event of the outgoing year for Russians, as in 2022 (2022 - 62%, 2023 - 22%)," the survey results say.

Economic happenings came in second. These are GDP growth, inflation, the sanctions war, increase in the key rate, etc. (16%). The hoopla around Russian President Vladimir Putin, namely his participation in the upcoming presidential election and his direct line Q&A session (8%), round out the top three. The main events expected by Russians in 2024 are the end of the special military operation (45%) and the presidential election (26%). As many as 13% expect the economy to grow and living standards to rise.

In general, six out of ten Russians are confident that next year will be a good, successful year for Russia (63%); this figure has increased by 18 percentage points from last year, one of the highest figures in 20 years. A third of Russians (33%) are skeptical about the country’s prospects for next year.

The expectation index stands at 30 points, the highest value in five years (2018 - 3 points, 2019 - 10 points, 2020 - 0 points, 2021 - 13 points, 2022 - minus 6 points). This index is based on the question "What do you expect from the next year for Russia as a whole?" It is calculated as the difference between positive and negative assessments. The value of the index can range from minus 100 to 100 points.

The Russia-wide telephone survey was conducted on December 8 and December 16, 2023. It involved 1,600 Russians over the age of 18. The data has been balanced by socio-demographic parameters. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5% with a probability ratio of 95%.