Marina Yardaeva Why even the poorest Russians don’t need food stamps 25.12.2024, 08:03

During New Year’s preparations and calculations about how much Russians will spend on celebrations, food, gifts and entertainment, news suddenly appeared that food cards could be introduced in the country. And the other day, the State Duma even proposed imposing an obligation on stores to allocate separate shelves for the free distribution of unsold products to those in need. And you know, these are very strange offers. You can treat poverty statistics however you like, for example, you may think they are underestimates, but ultimately we seem to have defeated hunger. Where do all these attempts to feed citizens come from?

According to official statistics, there are only 8% of the poor in Russia. And all these 13 million people appear to be under state support, that is, they receive social benefits and some other non-material benefits – which means they should not starve to death.

Yes, of course there are questions regarding the need criteria. Our cost of living is appallingly low, and this does not take into account modern realities such as the debt burden of the population. That is, when determining the level of financial well-being or disadvantage of a person or family, they always look only at income and never at expenses, which is fundamentally wrong. Theoretically, a situation may actually arise in which there will be nothing left after all the obligatory payments for food loans, but the question rightfully arises of what motivated the poor guy when he got into debt. In practice, it is clear that a person would rather be a problem debtor and go bankrupt than go on an extreme diet if the personal financial crisis lasts for a long time.

Yes, there are questions about retirees. The average pension in Russia does not even reach 21 thousand rubles. About 3 million people (7.3% of the total number of retirees) received such a low pension that on top of these kopecks social support is paid up to the subsistence level. This minimum figure for pensioners is absolutely shameful – about 13 thousand. With such promotions, it seems that the elderly are running out of steam and it is time to switch to meal cards.

But if you look at it from a slightly different angle, the picture is not so scary anymore. Thus, 8 million retirees (about 20%) are working. So having to work hard at 70 is obviously not good enough. But it’s definitely better than sitting around without money and food. It is also interesting that the share of working retirees is decreasing: over the last decade their number has halved. And it’s not because they got laid off; There appears to be a staff shortage in the country; employees don’t spread around these days. This means that the older generation has other sources of funds. For example, deposit interest. Nowadays, retirees are active investors, they are even ahead of young people in this regard. No, of course, there are no untold fortunes in the accounts of the elderly (let’s not judge the overall picture by the news that elderly women transferred tens of millions of dollars to fraudsters), but the average size of pension deposits exceeded half a million in 2024. For retirees who don’t have savings, children are likely to help.

Of course, we are still a long way from heaven on earth. Support for vulnerable segments of the population is necessary, but it seems that the aid needed is not food. Given the increasing standards of well-being, today the poor do not need boiled meat and cereals, for example, additional funds for treatment are needed if we talk about retirees, and high-quality social infrastructure if we talk about families. with children.

So where does this unconscious desire to give bread to the suffering come from? This seems to be what controls our other benefactors as well; The image of an unfortunate man who survived the blockade and could not pay for a packet of butter is entrenched in their consciousness. There really was such a story. It happened ten years ago, but not everyone can forget it.

This year, the butter theft epidemic from stores has spread again across the country. And some revolutionary-minded comrades immediately shouted that the people were starving. But if you read the theft news, you can learn a lot about our people. Here are the summaries for October and November. In Syzran, a 34-year-old man bought eight packs of assorted butter from a supermarket; A 34-year-old woman stole 29 packages in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In Moscow, visitors aged 25 and 29 tried to steal 25 packs of butter from a store. Some of our citizens were so hungry that they started stealing small amounts of food in bulk. And most importantly, all strong men work and work, but here you are.

In general, theft is a separate phenomenon, the number of which has actually increased significantly in recent years. And this is rather ideological and psychological, not social. Some quite prosperous citizens quite seriously think that they are fighting capitalism through petty theft. Others, mostly young people, want to test themselves or ask, “What’s the matter?” They secretly want to buy chocolate: Children grew up in a dynamic value system, they want it, they buy it. Still others are sick people: some have kleptomania, and some have alcoholism or addiction to something hotter (these are alcohol and snacks, carrying delicacies for resale). To whom should the meal card be given? Who should we organize special shelves for?

In addition, such shelves with free food can lead to the most unexpected consequences. At first, they will be avoided altogether, let’s say, for fear of stigma. An example will be set by some hipsters who later elevate food sharing into a separate philosophy tied to anti-consumerism and the eco-agenda: There is nothing to be ashamed of, they say. In a week someone will fight near this shelf. Two days later, dissatisfied visitors will complain to the supermarket management: the assortment is too small and the quality of the products is so-so. People don’t value free things. In this sense, the story of an entrepreneur from Krasnoyarsk who started the distribution of bread for charity is indicative. The promotion had to be ended after three months due to consumer aggression: Some tried to steal entire pallets of loaves, others complained that the loaves were ugly, and some were angry at the lack of variety. Should this be encouraged?

Fortunately, we do not live in Africa, where hunger is still a problem. Today in Russia everyone can earn money for food. And the unemployed, children and the elderly do not die of exhaustion – there is someone to take care of them. Another thing is that many other needs of the poor are not met today: people need affordable and quality medicines, good education for children, help in re-education of adults, free legal assistance and psychological support. You can strengthen social work in this regard or think about how you can make it more effective.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.