The main fear of Russians during the pandemic was not infection with coronavirus, but means of protection against it – research

The main fears of Russians during a pandemic are not coronavirus infection, but means of protection against it. About it informs Kommersant.

As follows from the “National Anxiety Index” prepared by the CROS agency, the main source of anxiety for Russians in 2021 was again the coronavirus pandemic and everything connected with it. However, if last year residents were primarily concerned about the risk of infection, then this year the fear of the introduction of a QR code system for admission to public places came to the fore. This phobia occupies a leading position in 70 regions at once, and in another 12 subjects it is in the top 3.

In second place among the main fears was also vaccination against COVID-19. Fear of the virus itself is only in third place. At the bottom of the rating is anxiety due to an increase in the number of violent crimes and fear of inflation.

As the head of VTsIOM, Valery Fyodorov, noted, the topic of coronavirus has become “routine”: the behavior of Russians towards covid “has become largely rational.” But the topic of restrictions, on the contrary, for the majority is just the same new, therefore exciting and even frightening.

At the same time, Russians generally have a low level of anxiety due to the aggravation of the situation around Ukraine and a possible war with it. Sociologists explain that foreign policy concerns have traditionally been at the bottom of the rankings.