68% of Russian entrepreneurs believe that businesses should help in resolving social problems and improving people’s lives.
Eighty-six percent of entrepreneurs have implemented a socially useful project at least once in the last two years
02.08.2024
Article published on the ASI website
12.6 million entrepreneurs and self-employed people believe that their business should benefit society.
The Russian Ministry of Economic Development, Sberbank and the Public Opinion Foundation have conducted a survey on Entrepreneurs of Russia: Monitoring of Research covering the second quarter of 2024 to seek the views of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The results show that 68% of entrepreneurs believe that businesses should help in resolving social problems and improving people’s lives. This sentiment is more often shared by those who:
- work with the State – 80%;
- live in urban-type settlements and villages – 80%;
- are older business people (56 years and over)
Eighty-six percent of entrepreneurs have been involved in socially useful projects at least once in the last two years. Among the most common initiatives are:
- Cooperation with volunteer organisations and charities – 33%;
- Organising clean-up activities, planting seeds, saving office paper – 29%
Sixty-eight percent of self-employed believe that their activities have contributed to improving the lives of the people in their region. More often, this is the view of:
- Experienced self-employed men – 73%;
- Those who have been self-employed for more than five years – 74%;
- Those who are optimistic about the future – 73%;
- Those who are making long-term plans – 77%;
- Those who work with individuals – 70%
In quarter two, almost 60% of entrepreneurs said that the environment in which small businesses have operated in quarter two had been satisfactory in their region. As in quarter one, more than 40% expect the situation for business to be stable over the next twelve months.
In the last three months, 14% of entrepreneurs have expanded their workforce; 72% have made no changes and another 14% have reduced their number of employees. The situation is similar to that in quarter one. A third of entrepreneurs are still intent on increasing staff numbers within the next three months.
Fifty-eight percent of entrepreneurs are aware of existing State support measures. Of these, 47% have applied for them, with another 8% intending to do so. The most common sought-over support is financial (33%), followed by securing a loan or preferential lending (30%) and grants (12%). Entrepreneurs applied less frequently for a social or State contract (4%); for help in repaying loans (3%) and advertising (2%), and for training and counselling (2%).
