The Repair with SberServices service and the Odnoklassniki social network collaborated on a study to understand how Russians extend New Year greetings and through which channels. The findings show that a third of participants tried to send congratulations to everyone in person.
Over half of those surveyed, 53 percent, chose to share their wishes through social networks or instant messengers. At the same time, 46 percent reached out by phone to wish happiness, and 38 percent conveyed kind words via SMS. The data reveal a diverse mix of communication methods used during this festive period.
When it came to the audience of well-wishers, 52 percent of Russians sent Happy New Year greetings to their closest relatives, while 49 percent extended wishes to nearby friends. Colleagues received greetings from 33 percent, and 31 percent reminded all acquaintances of the holiday. A small portion, 5 percent, did not offer congratulations to anyone, highlighting a notable variability in social engagement during the celebrations.
The survey also tracked gift activity from December 30 to January 1, noting that users exchanged 1.2 billion virtual presents, a 27 percent increase from the previous year. Some individuals took the opportunity to greet their entire circle more than once. In the period between December 30 and January 9, one OK user dispatched 214 thousand gifts in a single wave, illustrating the scale of digital festivity during this interval.
In total, more than 2.5 billion gifts were distributed during the New Year celebrations. The regions reporting the highest gift activity included Moscow, Krasnodar, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, and the Leningrad region, signaling concentrated hubs of online generosity and social connection during the holiday season.
Regarding holiday traditions, the survey found that a majority of Russians, 53 percent, do not observe the Old New Year as a separate celebration. Some participants grow tired of a long sequence of festivities, while others simply do not view the day as a holiday. Nevertheless, 44 percent indicated they would still celebrate the Old New Year in some form, illustrating a mixed approach to calendar-based traditions.
Earlier reports by a psychiatrist cited factors contributing to a perceived uptick in crime after the New Year holidays, suggesting that certain seasonal stresses may influence behavior during this time of year.