28%

of Russian families are willing to devote up to 10% of their monthly budget to ensure their children have a quality education. 23% of families are not willing to pay at all.

Over the past five years, the share of families willing to set aside 10% of their income for quality education has risen by seven percentage points. At the same time, the share not willing to pay at all has risen by eight percentage points.

Families’ willingness to pay for quality education for their children largely depends on the level of education and financial independence of their children. Thus, it is primarily parents of "adult" children already studying in vocational school, working or serving in the army who speak of their ‘unwillingness’ to pay. At the same time, parents of children who are preparing to enter or who are already enrolled in university studies are more likely to state a willingness to devote 20 percent or more of their household income to their children’s education.

These data were collected during a survey of Russian families with children 4 to 22 years of age, which was conducted in the autumn of 2013 as part of the Monitoring of Education Markets and Organizations by the Higher School of Economics in collaboration with the Public Opinion Foundation. A newsletter on the research is scheduled for publication in the second half of 2014.