Public Perceptions of Economic Changes: The Military, State Security, and Government Officials Turn out to Be Optimists

Abstract

Individual differences in perceptions of the scale and duration of crisis phenomena are largely determined by the socio-professional status of a person and by his or her particular field of activity. The current economic situation is most negatively perceived by those engaged in industry and the construction sector, while members of the security or military services (the so-called “siloviki”) perceive it much more positively and than other categories of employees. Their assessments of the economy’s prospects are noticeably more optimistic than those voiced by the latter.