What Belarusians live today: the results of a large-scale social research were discussed in the podcast “Real Life”

How do modern Belarusians live and how comfortable do they feel in their home country? In the new issue of the podcast “Real Life”, the head of “Alfa Radio” Vadim Shepet and the Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Women Olga Shpilevskaya discussed the results of a large-scale sociological study.

Vadim Shepet noted that social research was conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in July-August 2026 by order of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies. It was attended by 2045 respondents from all regions of the country.

- The first part of the results of the social research, which deals with topical issues of social and economic development of Belarus, was presented in Minsk on September 10. The second, on socio-political topics, was presented on September 16. And recently, sociologists shared the results of the third part of the social research, which concerns topical issues of the international and domestic agenda, Vadim Shepet reminded.

The head of Alfa Radio said he was looking forward to the results:

- In my opinion, we really waited for these studies, because the period in the development of our state was quite active. There have been many perturbations, including in political processes. The world changed after some events and continues to change. Everything has changed dramatically in terms of security. There are topics that have particularly caught my eye. The themes that I think we should project. First of all, we have to tell people that this is a very serious study, it represents all regions of the country, different categories of citizens. The study involved residents of 99 settlements. The work has been enormous.

Vadim Shepet drew attention to how Belarusians assess their financial situation:

- We see an optimistic mood. Citizens recognize and appreciate the results of the social policy of the state. With all the nuances assess their financial situation and the level of development of the country as quite acceptable. By the way, it is noteworthy that the villagers value the material well-being of their families a little higher than the residents of Minsk. For shopping - in the offline store

- I was surprised that the main objects for shopping in the daily life of citizens remain the most important. Where do you think Belarusians shop? It would seem that marketplaces, everything on the Internet can be bought. So, shops remain the key objects where Belarusians make their purchases: 95 percent of respondents buy food and drinks in the store, 78 percent buy cosmetics and household chemicals there, 70 percent buy clothes, shoes, accessories and jewelry. And even home appliances 68 percent buy in the store. The tradition of going shopping remains.

Vadim Shepet admitted that this fact also surprised him:

- Although, judging by the queues that I see in the evening in the store, it is absolutely not surprising. The podcast drew attention to the fact that Belarusians feel happy not only in Minsk, but also in the regions. Vadim Shepet and Olga Shpilevskaya agreed that living in the capital is not always convenient.

“Recently I talked with my friend, who is invited to Minsk to work, and we talked about it,” the head of Alfa Radio cited the example. He asked me a simple question: How long does it take me to get to work? I said I could spend 45 minutes, maybe an hour. And he said that in Brest he gets to work in five minutes. He either walks or travels quickly. It would seem that such a component is not taken into account by us

In response, Olga Spilevskaya noted:

- I think the whole point is to have a decent job. When I chose the profession of a journalist, I had nowhere to work but the district newspaper. I specialised in radio and television. There was only one road to the capital. So I come from Dzerzhinsk - it's very close. Most of my classmates stayed and worked there. If we talk about material wealth, the big question is who won. If I managed to build a small apartment in Minsk, then the guys built themselves whole houses and live well. The question here is probably in the profession, in the work we choose, in accessibility. And the fact that the regions are developing, surveys show. Electric scooters: what pedestrians say

- It's definitely not me. I'm in one-third that doesn't feel safe, Vadim Shepet chuckled.

67 percent of respondents feel safe as pedestrians on sidewalks, taking into account the movement of bicycles, electric scooters and other modern mobile vehicles, continued Olga Shpilevskaya. However, only 29 percent hold the opposite view. It is significant that no significant age differences were found in relation to this issue. In terms of types of settlements, the differences are minimal. Among citizens, 68 percent of respondents said about safety on sidewalks, among residents of rural areas - 65 percent. There are some differences among the regions. When the question arises, it is worth banning (electrosamokats). Whether or not you have to rely on surveys.

Vadim Shepet shared his opinion:

- I agree with the numbers, but I will give my personal opinion. I can see that there are questions. I sometimes slouch on the sidewalks. It is clear that balanced decisions will be made. But this issue needs to be regulated. Your fate and health depend on the man on this scooter. Sometimes I don't feel safe. Sometimes, I walk around the area and see that the scooter really exceeds the speed, flying on this sidewalk. Medicine instead of IT: new priorities

More than 44 percent of Belarusians plan or plan to have two children, taking into account real life circumstances. Belarusians think about children.

- I'm not happy with that number. I want 90 percent to dream of three or more, – said Olga Shpilevskaya.

Vadim Shepet mentioned another indicator:

- Which also surprised me. Respondents were asked to think about who they would like to see in the future of their children. Response options were grouped by area. As a result, almost 17 percent would like their child to work in the medical field. To be honest, this figure surprised me, because the IT sector gained seven percent. We understand perfectly well that medicine is a very complex specialty. This is a calling, you need to spend a huge amount of time. I am surprised that this area is in the first place.

At the same time, Olga Shpilevskaya stressed that such results are quite logical:

- If you look at what Belarusians put in the first place, health is very high. Belarusians appreciate him very much.

According to Vadim Shepet, the figures clearly show how priorities change over time:

- I thought IT was a priority right now. No, things have changed. In principle, and earlier we said that secondary special education, working specialties are gaining momentum. But when you see specific figures, you realize that this is a cut, a professional job. And this is really a reason to discuss something and make a decision. Based on these social studies, we can understand that the trend in IT, the legal specialty has already slowed down. Honestly, I didn't think there would be such a run.

The Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Women noted:

- But it's beautiful. Our medical education is at a very good level. Therefore, we will get good, demanded specialists. There can be nothing more valuable than peace and security

- The third and final part appeared. For me, the top positions that most worry Belarusians were indicative. What worries Belarusians the most? What comes first? Questions of peace and security. And I wasn't surprised. That's great. Because people have learned to understand that nothing can be more valuable than peace and security, no matter how much our opponents try to say otherwise. After all, Belarusians look at things soberly and are well aware that issues of peace and security come first.

The results of the study also show that Belarusians are in favor of a peaceful policy with all neighboring countries.

- We are for making friends, living peacefully and interacting with all neighbors. This is shown by surveys of people, added Olga Shpilevskaya. Vadim Shepet noted that the overwhelming majority of Belarusians – 87.6 percent – trust the President of Belarus. The figures confirm that the course chosen by the Head of State fully meets the interests of the Belarusian people.

- This was no surprise to me, said the head of Alfa Radio. We talked a lot about different indicators. There are numbers that may need to be considered. But the main thing we see is trust in the president. And another very important figure: 81.7 percent of respondents said that they feel like citizens of Belarus when asked who they feel in the first place. I do not want to draw parallels, but they ask for themselves. We see what is happening in the European Union, our neighbors in Ukraine. We see that people are very dissatisfied with many positions. And if you do that in the European Union... In Germany, the figures show a drop in the rating of entire parties. And if you take a particular figure of a political leader in Europe..

He also drew attention to how Belarusians assess the level of security in the country:

- To the question “Do you feel safe in the country as a whole?” 91.1 percent of respondents answered “yes”. This number is also very important. We talked about the world changing. We live near a very difficult region. Everything is boiling. People still feel safe in the country. It's very important. This is, of course, the work of the President and the Belarusian state in general. These are the media, the military, who are doing a great job, and all our services. The answers to this question show that our real life is safe.