Results of our studies

MOSCOW, March 06, 2008 Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents information on how Russians are going to celebrate March 8 and what they are planning to do on this occasion.The overwhelming majority of Russians (87%) consider March 8 to be their personal holiday. Only 10% of respondents disagree with them. This distribution of estimations has stayed approximately the same for the last three years. 91% of women think of the holiday as theirs, and… even the majority of men do (82%).Nearly half of Russians (45%) are planning on celebrating the holiday at a festive table at home; this type of spending the day was the most widespread in 2005-2007 when 49-51% mentioned this sort of plans for the holiday. The second place in the popularity list of how to spend March 8 belongs to making visits (18%). Respondents less often plan on going to restaurants, clubs, discos; theatres, concerts, movie theatres; going to the country (1-3% for each of the options). 18% of respondents did not yet know at the time of the survey how they would be spending the holiday and 9% were not going to celebrate it at all.The youth aged 18 to 24 years are as a rule more likely to spend the time more actively as the older respondents would. 22% in the youth group want to stay at home (42% to 55% of respondents in other age groups). 40% of the youth (cf.: only 12% of respondents in the 60+ group) would like to go to a restaurant, club or a disco to celebrate the holiday. Moreover, the share of those who have not yet made up their minds as to where to celebrate March 8 is again higher among the youth group than in other age groups (26% and 13%).The most popular present that the respondents are planning to give the beloved women on March 8 are flowers (40%). Those going to give souvenirs, greeting cards, purses, etc. as presents are also quite numerous (31%), other respondents will buy sweets (26%), perfume, make-up articles, costume jewellery (22%), toys (10%). Respondents less often make more expensive presents, such as jewellery, clothes, shoes, household appliances (3-5% for each option). 6% of respondents are planning just to give money, just as many respondents want to do some work about the house. 11% are not willing to give anything to anyone as a present on this day.The share of respondents thinking to give flowers on this occasion has grown in 2007 if compared with the data obtained in 2006, however, it fell again in 2008 (increase from 38% up to 47% and then decrease down to 40%). A similar situation can be observed in the case with sweets (18%, 31%, 26%) and toys (9%, 14% and 9%). The initiative All-Russia opinion poll was conducted by VCIOM on February 23-24, 2008. 1600 respondents were interviewed each time in 153 population areas of 46 regions of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.   

Do you think March 8, the International Women’s Day, to be a holiday for you personally?

 

2005

2006

2007

2008

Yes, I do

89

87

86

87

No, I do not

10

10

12

10

Hard to say

1

3

2

3

Do you think March 8, the International Women’s Day, to be a holiday for you personally?

 

Total respondents

Sex

Men

Women

Yes, I do

87

82

91

No, I do not

10

14

7

Hard to say

3

4

2

Are you going to celebrate the holiday? If so, in what way are you planning to do it?

 

2005

2006

2007

2008

At a festive table at home

51

49

49

45

I will make a visit

18

17

17

18

I will go to a restaurant, club, disco

4

4

4

3

In the country, in the country house

2

1

1

2

I will go to the theatre, concert, movie theatre

1

-

1

1

I am planning to go abroad

-

-

-

0

I will go to a resort in Russia

-

-

-

-

I have not made up my mind yet as to how I will be celebrating the holiday

14

16

17

18

I am not going to celebrate the holiday

10

9

8

9

Hard to say

1

3

3

4

Are you going to celebrate the holiday? If so, in what way are you planning to do it?

 

Total respondents

Age, years

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-59

60 and older

At a festive table at home

45

22

42

46

55

47

I will make a visit

18

30

20

19

13

12

I will go to a restaurant, club, disco

3

8

5

2

0

0

In the country, in the country house

2

2

2

2

1

2

I will go to the theatre, concert, movie theatre

1

1

2

1

1

0

I am planning to go abroad

0

-

-

0

-

-

I will go to a resort in Russia

-

-

-

-

-

-

I have not made up my mind yet as to how I will be celebrating the holiday

18

26

20

19

17

13

I am not going to celebrate the holiday

9

6

5

6

9

21

Hard to say

4

5

4

5

4

5

Are you planning to give somebody presents on March 8? If so, what presents are these going to be? (Any number of options)

 

2006

2007

2008

Flowers

38

47

40

Souvenirs (greeting cards, pens, notepads, a purse, a lighter, a picture album, etc.)

29

33

31

Sweets

18

31

26

Perfume, make-up, costume jewellery

22

25

22

Toys

9

14

9

Money

5

6

6

I will do something about the house

6

7

6

Jewellery

4

4

5

Audio, video cassettes, CDs, DVDs

3

2

3

Clothes, shoes

3

5

3

Alcohol

1

5

3

Household appliances (a teakettle, an iron, a coffee-machine)

3

4

3

A cell phone

2

1

2

Tickets to a concert, theatre, a dinner at the restaurant

-

1

1

A camera, a camcorder, a TV set, a mini system

0

0

0

A computer

0

0

0

Place in a tourist group, a resort tour

0

0

0

A car

0

0

0

Other option

5

4

5

I am not going to give anything as a present to anyone

12

11

11

Hard to say

7

6

9


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