Russian population and demographics #2

I know a guy from Chilie who moved to Russia and lives in Moscow. His daughter got married recently to a guy from Moscow.

Anyway, he has a great life. Mind you he is paid well.

That said, where would you recommend, Scorpius, in Russia that would be much easier for foreigners?

I would say stick to the major cities. They are cosmopolitan. I would no say that the rural areas are chauvinist against foreigners, but it is easier
to fit into large urban context. Moving to Russia entails a culture shock and this includes learning the language. Migration is traumatic no matter
where you go.

Russians increasingly abstaining from alcohol – poll, 10.08.2024.

The culture of alcohol consumption in the country has shifted significantly, a survey has found.

The percentage of Russians who don’t drink alcohol has nearly doubled over the past two decades, according to a poll published by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) on Monday.

Over 1,600 adults were surveyed over the phone last month, revealing that “more and more [Russians] demonstrate a commitment to a sober lifestyle.” The amount of people who abstain from drinking has risen to 48%, up from 27% recorded in 2004.

”A marked shift has occurred in the culture of alcohol consumption in Russia,” VCIOM said. Generational changes, active anti-alcohol policies, and changes in what is perceived as fashionable were given as factors behind the shift.

Russians now also prefer lighter alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine instead of spirits such as vodka, VCIOM reported. Twenty years ago, 33% of respondents said they prefer vodka, but now only 11% say they do.

The main reason for drinking has remained unchanged, with 38% of Russians in 2024 and 2004 turning to alcohol to relieve stress.

According to VCIOM, drinking alcohol is now no longer widely perceived as part of Russian culture, with only 7% of respondents considering it a national tradition, as opposed to 20% in 2004.

In December, the Russian government introduced a new roadmap to reducing alcohol consumption by 12.3% per capita by 2030. The Health Ministry noted that under the previous 2009-2020 plan, alcohol consumption fell by nearly 49%.

The government has sought to reduce morbidity, disability, and mortality caused by alcohol consumption by promoting a healthy lifestyle and developing alcohol abuse prevention systems.

https://www.rt.com/russia/605424-russians-abstain-drunking-alcohol/

Good news. I found it absurd how social gatherings typically involved setting out bottles of vodka. Not beer or wine, but vodka. Having a good time
should not entail passing out under the table or on the street.

I'm having to abstain from alcohol but that's mostly because of the migraines I get nowadays from consuming cheap beer or wine. Getting older I guess. Funnily enough the expensive stuff is still good but I'm not much of a connoisseur for expensive beers and wines. Whisky maybe.

Nevertheless I'm tempted to just go back to vodka after all, I'm assuming I won't get the headache problems from that
And, there's something timeless about that classic Russian style

@flamming

If you can control the amount of alcohol you ingest, then vodka is not a problem. But nobody drinks a tiny bit of it at parties. The volume of fluid
consumed does contribute. Less alcohol content is better.

Your migranes may indicate a sensitivity to various other poisons in the wine and beer that are not alcohol. Your safest bet is distilled water. Personally,
I do not drink alcohol since I never liked it. I never a got a "buzz" from it, more like headaches. This goes together with having a Type II diabetes
metabolism. This type is more prone to digest the alcohol and more is required to get inebriated. This is why alcoholism is worse in aboriginal and other
communities which also have metabolic syndrome predisposition.

sepheronx wrote:That said, where would you recommend, Scorpius, in Russia that would be much easier for foreigners?

In fact, there is no magical place specifically for foreigners. Everyone has their own preferences.
The most cosmopolitan cities, of course, are Moscow and St. Petersburg, but nothing prevents anyone from settling somewhere in a small village in the Vladimir region, or on the shores of Lake Baikal, or anywhere else.
One of the main criteria, of course, is the fact that you have savings and income. Do you plan to work? Can you work remotely? What salary are you interested in?
What kind of climate do you like? Do you want to be in constant contact with society, or do you need a more secluded, private life?
These and hundreds of other questions can determine where you should move to (or perhaps you shouldn't waste time moving to a place where you would feel uncomfortable).

Arrow wrote:"Population dynamics in Russia in January-August 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Number of births: decline from 850,187 to 823,113 children (-3.2%);
Number of deaths: increase from 1,169,719 to 1,221,613 in 2024 (+4.4%);
Natural population decline: increase from 319,532 to 398,500 people;

Birth rate: moderate decrease from 1.45 children per woman on average to 1.44 with 2.08 required for population replacement.

At the same time, in August, a decrease in the number of births was recorded by 12.2% compared to the same period last year, from 123,546 to 108,456. It follows that the TFR specifically in the last month of summer fell from 1.45 to 1.30 children per woman - the worst value since 2005."

It looks bad for Russia

Follow Hungary's plan, they gave a lot of money to families.

Russia already gives lots of money for children.

It needs to be a decline in divorce rates and a change in female mentality (removing feminism) in order to change this.  Otherwise, wont work.

Mind you, I don't really believe a single bit of these statistics.  Russia's population been declining since the 90's, all the way up to 150M population now.  This is also not including the new regions yet. All from a nation that had a population of, at best, 100M back before WW2. Hell, before WW1.

Few million people from Central Asian stans obtained Russian passport during last 10+ years.