This article analyses the near periphery of the poor group in Russia—Russians with incomes between 1 and 1.5 times the subsistence minimum. The article raises three questions: what is the size and characteristics of this group of Russians, how has it changed over the past 11 years (and whether, in this regard, the group has retained its character as an intermediate zone, significantly different from both the poor group and the rest of the population), and whether members of this group are in need of state support (given that their incomes preclude them from qualifying for a significant portion of state assistance). To answer these questions, the article compares them with other, higher-income and poorer Russians. The analysis was conducted using data from the national representative studies "Poverty and the Poor in Modern Russia" (April 2013) and "The Dynamics of Social Transformation of Modern Russia in the Socioeconomic, Political, Sociocultural, and Ethnoreligious Context" (June 2023, April 2024). The study found that those living on the periphery of poverty have become very similar to the poor in terms of sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as their subjective perception of life. However, this convergence of the groups occurred primarily due to accelerated changes within the poor group. As a result, these processes have largely led to the loss of the unique characteristics of this group as an intermediate zone, which was characteristic of it in the 2000s. Russians with incomes between 1 and 1.5 times the subsistence minimum in 2024 are comparable to the poor in terms of the nature of their daily problems, what they have achieved in life, and what they no longer hope to achieve. The only difference is that they lack a marginalised subgroup. Consequently, they are almost as likely to express a need for state support, even though they are somewhat less likely to identify as constantly needy and are slightly more likely to feel responsible for their lives. Therefore, we conclude that this group requires government attention, and expanding the range of social support measures aimed at Russians with incomes below 1.5 times the subsistence minimum meets their needs and is timely.

poverty, periphery of poverty, social well-being, vulnerability, dependence on the state

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