Life Satisfaction in Russia and the War in Ukraine: an Analysis of 2022 Data

Abstract This paper studies how life satisfaction of Russians changed in 2022, the year when Russia started the full-scale war in Ukraine. Applying panel regression analysis, the life satisfaction of Russians in 2022 is compared with that in 2021 and 2020. The RLMS-HSE data suggests that the average life satisfaction of Russians increased; however, this increase was accompanied by a larger percentage of respondents who dropped out the sample, and therefore it can at least partly be explained by a self-selection bias. A decline in life satisfaction was observed in respondents with higher university degrees and amongst religious Muslims, i.e., respondents, who not only associate themselves with Muslim traditions but also report that they believe in God (Allah). Regarding males, the effects holding religious beliefs, but belonging to a confession other than Islam, such as Russian Orthodox, are positive, as they expressed increased life satisfaction. Furthermore, greater income is also associated with an increase in life satisfaction among Russian males in 2022 in comparison with 2021 and 2020, but this factor had a non-significant impact on females.