Conducting market research in Russia is becoming increasingly frequent. With a population of 142+million, with the average household disposable income per person of $4000-$4500 per year, there is reason for market research.
Having said that, there are demographic nuances to consider when deciding the Russian Federation is right for your market research –
- 94% of people between the ages of 25-64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school diploma
- The richest 20% of Russia’s population earns six times more than the poorest 20%
- Difficult to reach groups online include people ages 55+, the North Caucasian and Far East regions, and rural areas
Population by region –
- Central (including Moscow with more than 10 million inhabitants) 38.8 million
- Southern, 14 million
- North Caucasian, 9.6 million
- Northwest (including St. Petersburg), 13.8 million
- Volga, 29.7 million
- Ural, 12.2 million
- Siberia, 19.3 million
- Far East, 6.2 million
Keeping Russian Study Participants Engaged:
- Phrase questions in simple, interesting and varied ways
- Limit the questionnaire to 30 minutes
- Limit open-ended, tedious questions to of 10%
- If possible, avoid questions about race, religion , nationality, political preference, and sexual orientation.
- Russia has no official class differentiation, i.e., high, middle, low income, etc. What is high income to one Russian, may be middle or low income to another. Russian respondents are happy to provide income and education level.
- Ask screening questions at the beginning of the study
- Limit survey qualification to no more than 5 minutes
- Construct the questionnaire in Russian, using native speakers.
Please let me know if you have additional insight, questions, or comments.
Sources: http://www.oecd.org; Elena Efremova, OMI Russia