Russians Don't Leave

MOST RUSSIANS DON"T WANT TO EMIGRATE

By Stephen Wilson

 

MOSCOW -- The overwhelming vast number of Russians don't want to leave Russia for

good. Or at least that is the conclusion of a recent poll undertaken by the

All Russian Center for Studying Russian Opinion which found that 89 % of

Russians would rather remain in their own country. While 10 % of those

polled would like to live abroad, 43 % of them are uncertain whether or

when this would be possible. This survey appears to represent the highest

percentage of those polled found in favor of remaining permanently in

Russia.

The survey also indicated how the motives of those seeking to go abroad

has changed over the last few years. While a survey two years revealed that

more than half of those wanting to leave were motivated by the dream of

a higher standard of living, better pay and benefit, this has declined to 33% !

More respondents appear to be citing ecological reasons as a prime source

for wishing to leave [ 4% in 2016 , 12% in 2017] and Human rights { 0% in

2016 , 10 % in 2017} Most of those who want to emigrate tend to be young

and from cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The favorite destination

appears to be Germany.

What are we to make of those findings ? I personally welcome them but don't

find it too consoling because my personal experience does not always tally

with this survey. For whatever reason, I keep encountering people wanting to

get out. Moscow is even beginning to remind me of poor Moldova. It is

unpleasant to stay in a country when you keep meeting people who tell you

" I hate this country and want to get out " Or as an accountant in an American company

SAS , told me : " If every employee had a chance , they would live abroad." This

turned out to be an overstatement as some employees told me they did not have

such a dream. In Moldova I was constantly asked for advice on how to obtain

citizenship in Britain. Now when I told those people I was happy to stay in Moldova

or Moscow rather than Scotland, they thought I was mad . It was disconcerting.

When I asked how they imagined life in Britain I found a highly unrealistic view

of Britain which did not echo any of my experiences in Scotland. They spoke of

highly paid jobs, a fair legal system and great medical care system. Where did

they get those high expectations ? Did it spring out of their imagination or word

of mouth ? A Russian artist from Moscow once bumped into me on the streets

and asked me : "Don't you get sick and tired of living in this country ? I'm surprised

you are still here ." She has visited and worked in New York and dreams of

permanent American citizenship which appears elusive. And how did she find

America? She adored New York ! She told me she found the people friendly, nice

and helpful. This is why I 'd never make rash judgments on a person's dream. Who

am I to break a person's illusions ?

I came across person, a student called Olga who could not get used to living in America.

She told me : "I went to live in America with my husband, who was a scientist. Although

he loved it I could not stay and missed Russia. I longed for my family so we split up.

I returned to Russia. .... What I found strange about America is that whenever I went for

a walk some driver would pull up and offer me help. They thought my car had broken down

or I needed a lift. But I only wanted to go for a walk. Americans seem to like driving

everywhere."

The worst attitude you can come across is people who think that to leave your country

is to abandon it and betray it. This attitude not only exists in Russia but Scotland. It is

summed up by the self righteous attitude of a poem : 'I never abandoned my country'

suggesting those who did were deserters of an army. This is not the best of Akhmatova's

poems.

Whatever we can conclude about the findings of this survey , it at least explodes the crude

myth that most Russians are dying to leave Russia , or that they find dwelling in their country unbearable. Whether they have lowered their expectations about life abroad in terms of becoming disillusioned remains an open question. They might well be heeding the old Russian proverb : 'Life is better where you don't live'. It is one thing to enjoy a holiday in Greece, quite another to live there ! They don't always take this proverb to heart in Scotland. When I last visited Scotland , many Scots I met asked how they could come to Russia to live. "It must be better than Scotland " they told me . The last person to phone me up and asked if she could come to stay permanently in Russia was my sister. I wonder what the Russians would make of this?