VTsIOM found that 62% of Russians support introducing food stamps, and over the year the number of supporters rose by 11%. Support is especially high in Siberia and the Urals, and among those who view the reform positively, there are unexpectedly many well off respondents. At the same time, almost half of those surveyed think they do not need stamps, and experts doubt such a system can be introduced quickly.

The All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VCIOM) surveyed Russians on the introduction of food cards. It turned out that 62% of respondents support this idea. The prospect of introducing cards is most popular among residents of Siberia and the Urals. Last year, VCIOM already conducted a similar survey. Since then, the number of supporters of the reform has increased by 11%: then 51% of Russians supported the idea.
“Cards will help ensure that people spend money only on food” 62% of Russians spoke in favor of this idea, according to the results of a survey conducted by VCIOM.
Most often, residents of Siberia (78% of respondents) and the Urals (76%) voiced support for cards, which are intended to provide the poorest segments of the population with food. The largest number of opponents of the reform is in the Northwestern Federal District.
It is curious that it is the well-off participants in the survey who have a positive attitude toward the introduction of food cards (70% versus 62% among the low-income respondents themselves). Russians who assess their financial situation as bad or very bad, on the contrary, are more likely to oppose the reform.
Russians aged 60 and older (52%) and those whose family income per family member does not exceed 1,500 rubles (50%) want to receive food vouchers. Meanwhile, almost half of Russians do not need them (49%). Russians under 34 years old are most inclined to this position (55–57%), as are those with an income per family member of 5,000 rubles or more (55%).
Experts believe that it will not be possible to introduce vouchers quickly.
“The crisis will end in a year or two. The idea may be a good one, but it is unlikely that the government will be able to implement it in such a short time,” commented Sabina Mukhametzhanova, an analyst at Bank of Moscow.
Food vouchers as a form of assistance for socially vulnerable segments of the population are still popular in some countries. For example, in the United States the card system was introduced during the Great Depression and has not been abolished since.
Americans with an annual income of less than $27,564 for a family of four can apply for government assistance. Food vouchers in the United States are plastic cards onto which about $100 per person per month is credited. The maximum amount for which vouchers are provided is $588 per month for a family of four.