Russian market expert: communications, marketing and business solutions.

Why do so few people become small businessmen? What troubles does small business face in Russia?

According to 28% of respondents, the first problem is the lack of start-up capital, and another 2% spoke about difficulties in obtaining credit: "there are no real interest-free loans"; "it is not easy to obtain credit and build yourself up".

Today, more than one-third of Russians (38%) think that their living standards have dropped lately (half of the respondents over 55); while 45% of those surveyed do not note any changes in their financial position, and only 15% note improvements (young people and Muscovites were most likely to do so).

Almost half of Russians (49%) think there currently are favorable conditions for the development of big business in Russia. Still, 19% are of the opposite opinion, with 32% having difficulty opining on this issue. It is worth noting that since 2000, when this question was first discussed, (since that time, it has been asked periodically) the share of those who hold the first opinion has gradually increased by a total of 18 percentage points, while the number of those believing Russia’s environment to be inhospitable to big business has decreased by 13%.

Russians dislike the content and format of today’s TV commercials. About two-thirds of Russian TV viewers (questions were asked of those saying they have a TV set, or 99%) react negatively to commercials appearing on their TV screen; 51% of respondents say they switch the channel or even turn off the TV (4%), while 7% watch the commercials with the sound turned off. A quarter of the respondents (25%) do other things during commercials. Only 11% of those surveyed say they actually watch TV commercials. Representatives of all age groups demonstrated the same general level of interest in TV commercials.

Today, more than half of Russians (58%) are dissatisfied with the situation in their respective regions, while only 30% report satisfaction. Compared with poll data received in June 2005, this ratio has improved, although not too much: the figures were 63% and 27% before.