Coronavirus Fiction: A Third of Russians Believe Coronavirus is Fake
Those Forced to Stay Home More Likely to Doubt Coronavirus Narrative
Those Forced to Stay Home More Likely to Doubt Coronavirus Narrative
Moscow – A survey by the Higher School of Economics revealed more than 30% of Russians who do not believe in the coronavirus pandemic consider it a fiction of “interested parties”, and the danger of the virus itself is greatly exaggerated.
The largest number of skeptics and opponents of restrictions in the Southern Federal District.
A third of Russians (32.8%) believe that the danger of coronavirus is exaggerated, calling it “an invention of interested parties.”
Another 9.6% believe that the danger is exaggerated. The survey was conducted in late May, and then 25.6% of respondents believed that the peak of the epidemic was yet to come. 16.3% were sure that the peak was already passed.
The head of Rospotrebnadzor announced Russia ‘s exit on a plateau in incidence on May 20.
Researchers note that the behavior of a group of Russians who do not believe in the epidemic or consider it a fabrication of interested individuals (32.8%) is fundamentally different from the behavior of those who recognize the fact of the epidemic.
Of those who do not believe in the epidemic, 43% visit relatives and more than half (54%) go for a walk. Three quarters (74.22%) of skeptic respondents are convinced that there was no need for a self-isolation regime.
Only 18% of those who acknowledge the epidemic visit their relatives and less than 12% meet with friends. Only 10% of those who recognize the epidemic agree with the statement that there was no need to introduce a self-isolation regime.
When asked about how the spread of coronavirus affected incomes, a third of respondents in late May said that incomes remained at the same level. Even at the beginning of the pandemic in Russia, the share of such people was 59.4%.
It is worth noting that it was in the Southern Federal District that self-isolation deprived a significant percentage of the population of income, and accordingly, it is there that they are most expected to cancel or at least ease the self-isolation regime.