MOSCOW, 20 September 2022. Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) presents the findings of a survey about international travel demand among Russians.
What a wonderful world!
Fewer Schengen visas issued to Russians, more visa processing time and higher visa application fees are what Russians have been facing amidst western sanctions. How popular those measures are still raise doubt, which is confirmed by low popularity of journeys to the Schengen countries. Over the last five years, 23% of Russians have travelled abroad. Nine percent of them visited Schengen countries (Germany, Italy, Spain, France, etc.); the share of Russians who travelled to the countries which do not require visas is twice as big (17%).
Demand for international trips depends on various factors, such as age, education level, financial self-assessment and urbanization rate. Typical tourists are often women (25% vs. 20% of men), 35-44-year-olds (31%), persons with higher and incomplete higher education diplomas (37%), respondents who are satisfied with their financial situation (30%) and who live in Moscow and St Petersburg (48%). |
Turkey is the most favorite international destination: the number of respondents who have visited this country over the recent five years is as large as the number of those who have been to the Schengen countries 8% (vs. 9%). This country compares favorably in terms of proximity, availability, service quality and easy entry, and it is also ranked among top five states most friendly to Russia[1].
Seventy-seven percent of Russians have not been abroad over the past five years; most of them are respondents with secondary or lower education levels, rural area inhabitants and active TV viewers (90-97%, 90% and 96% respectively).
Schengen doesn’t fill the belly
Today 29% of Russians have a foreign passport to travel; only 2% of respondents have a Schengen visa. These percentages are higher in the groups of those who have travelled abroad over the last five years — 76% and 8% respectively. Seventy percent of respondents have none of the above.
Those who have a foreign passport are likely frequent travelers: the 35-44-year-olds (39%), respondents who are well-educated (45%) and well-off (37%) and metropolitan area inhabitants (52%). Schengen visa holders are typically respondents living in Moscow and St Petersburg (10%), which is five times as high compared to the average across the country.
Every eight Russian (12%) is going to get or renew the foreign passport in the near future (along with 20% of the current holders of foreign passports). Geopolitical difficulties are not a barrier to young travelers aged 18-34 (16-21%) and metropolitan residents (20%). Only 1% of respondents plan on applying for a Schengen visa, meaning that toughening of the visa regime will have an impact on a vast minority of Russians.
VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide telephone survey was conducted 11 September, 2022. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18 and over took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews using a stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. The data were weighted according to social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
September 11, 2022 survey key effectiveness indicators: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.8338; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0249; response rate (RR)*** = 0.1623. Calculations based on corporate standard: https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/
* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.
** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.
***RR: RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.
Have you been abroad, to any foreign country over the recent five years, or not? If so, what countries did you visit most often? Up to 3 countries can be cited | |
| Total respondents |
Turkey | 8 |
Germany | 3 |
Italy | 2 |
Abkhazia | 2 |
Spain | 1 |
Belarus | 1 |
Egypt | 1 |
Finland | 1 |
Kazakhstan | 1 |
Greece | 1 |
Thailand | 1 |
France | 1 |
China | 1 |
Israel | 1 |
Vietnam | 1 |
Estonia | 1 |
Ukraine | 1 |
Austria | 1 |
Armenia | 1 |
Georgia | 1 |
Czech Republic | 1 |
UAE | 1 |
Dominican Republic | 1 |
Tunisia | <1 |
Tajikistan | <1 |
Montenegro | <1 |
Poland | <1 |
Hungary | <1 |
Azerbaijan | <1 |
Cyprus | <1 |
Kyrgyzstan | <1 |
South Korea | <1 |
Lithuania | <1 |
Norway | <1 |
Moldova | <1 |
Uzbekistan | <1 |
Maldives | <1 |
Switzerland | <1 |
Netherlands | <1 |
Sweden | <1 |
Latvia | <1 |
USA | <1 |
Slovakia | <1 |
Holland | <1 |
Croatia | <1 |
I haven’t been abroad for the recent 5 years | 77 |
Other | 2 |
Don’t know | 0 |
Have you been abroad, to any foreign country over the recent five years, or not? If so, what countries did you visit most often? Up to 3 countries can be cited | |
| Total respondents |
Schengen countries | 9 |
Non-Schengen countries | 17 |
Those who have not been abroad for the recent 5 years | 77 |
Other | 2 |
Don’t know | 0 |
Which of the following things do you have at the moment? | |||||||
| Total respondents | Moscow and St Petersburg | Million-plus cities | 500-950 thousand | 100-500 thousand | Under 100 thousand | Rural area |
Travel passport | 29 | 52 | 39 | 32 | 35 | 22 | 12 |
Schengen visa | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
National visa of a non-Schengen country | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
None of the above | 70 | 47 | 61 | 65 | 64 | 78 | 86 |
Don’t know | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Are you going to get or extend … in the near future? (close-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of total respondents) | ||||||||
| Total | Men | Women | Ages 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-59 | 60 + |
Travel passport | 12 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 6 |
Schengen visa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
National visa of a non-Schengen country | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
None of the above | 86 | 85 | 87 | 84 | 78 | 85 | 86 | 93 |
Don’t know | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
[1] Based on a VCIOM’s August survey, 17% of Russians consider Turkey as a friendly state.