Almost one out of 10 Russians want to emigrate, according to Russia's state-run pollster VTsIOM. Eleven percent of those polled said they were considering emigration, while seven percent said they wanted to leave within the next two years. One fifth of those questioned said they have family members or friends who have emigrated in the last year.
Over half of those wishing to emigrate haven't give any thought as to how they will make these plans a reality, but of those who did, 16 percent are studying foreign languages, 15 percent are saving up money, 14 percent are searching for information on countries to move to, and 11 percent have consulted friends and acquaintances who have already emigrated.
Of the reasons for emigrating, 50 percent cited "improvement of material situation," 7 percent cited "social stability," and 4 percent cited "better climate."
The survey was carried out between Oct. 8-9, among 1600 respondents in 46 regions throughout Russia.
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