Why do Russians hoard change? Analysts found out

65% of Russians have a piggy bank with coins at home. This was revealed as a result of a study conducted by the NAFI Analytical Center.

According to the results of a survey conducted in 53 regions of Russia, 38% of respondents spend their accumulated change in stores, 28% pay with coins in public transport, 15% exchange coins for paper banknotes in banks, shops or in special machines, 10% use change for donations or distributed as charity.

9% of respondents – mostly young people – pay with change in vending machines, and 6% take it to the bank to be credited to their account.

At the same time, 18% of the survey participants answered that they do nothing with the accumulated coins.

An unexpected result of the study was that young people from 18 to 24 years old (77%) and people with good material income (72%) most often save money.

But among those who do not save coins (these are 35% of respondents), 48% are people of pre-retirement and retirement age, and 47% are Russians with a low income.

“The study statistically confirmed the well-known saying “A penny saves a ruble”: the habit of taking care of money of any denomination is more common among people with a higher level of material wealth,” Timur Aimaletdinov, Deputy Director General of the NAFI Analytical Center, commented on the results of the survey.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Bank, not only rubles, but also kopecks are now in circulation, which many have already forgotten about. So, as of July 1, 2022, the largest share of coins in circulation is 10 kopecks (36%). Coins with a face value of 50 kopecks and 1 kopeck each account for 10% of the total turnover, 2 kopecks – 8%. Least of all, oddly enough, in circulation are 5-ruble and 2-ruble coins. Their shares in the total circulation of coins are 5% and 6%, respectively.

And although coins, especially pennies, are very reluctant to accept in stores, the Central Bank recalled that, according to Article 30 of the Federal Law “On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)”, coins are “unconditional obligations of the Bank of Russia and are provided with all its assets.” So coins that do not have significant damage are required to be accepted for all types of payments.

Alena Bodrienko.

Photo by Moscow Agency