First the bad news: Russia is officially the Unhappiest Nation in Europe.
Only 37% of Russians are happy despite the economic downturn, according to a German study publicized in the Moscow Times. This compares to a whopping 80% of Greeks, who are happy despite not even having an economy. (Denmark, with 96%, came out tops).
Now for some more bad news. On the 20th anniversary of the August coup, a call-in poll broadcast on St Petersburg’s Channel 5, a mainstream TV channel, asked viewers what they would do if the coup had happened this week. 8% said they would mount the barricades to defend democracy. 82% said they could support the Communist hardliners.
In a more scientific forum, the Levada center has found that while 10% of Russians feel that the defeat of the coup was a victory for democracy, 35% think it was just a case of elites jostling for power. And 49% believe the country went on the wrong path since then – nearly double the 27% who believe otherwise. Probably the only people who still find Russia a fun happy place are Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban.
So what do you do when your country is on the wrong path and you’re one of the unhappiest people on Earth?
If you’re Russian, the answer usually involves copious quantities of alcohol. And if you’re Sardinia’s most exclusive bar, it now means 80,000 euros worth of stolen Cristal, after “eight young Russians ordered 90 bottles of champagne during a long night at club before vanishing.”
A small price to pay for a nation’s convalescence.
