50% (figure of the day)

Half of Russians believe that academics have less exciting lives than other people do. These data were obtained during a representative sampling survey of Russians aged 16 years and older that was conducted in November 2014 as part of a Monitoring Survey of Innovative Behaviour of the Population by HSE ISSEK.

Academics are often somewhat eccentric people (57% of Russians believe this) and show little interest in things outside of their work (45%).

That said, the majority of respondents say that academics are dedicated people who work for the good of humanity (72%) and solve difficult problems (80%).

By way of comparison, 19% of respondents in the U.S. believe that academics have boring lives. 38% of Americans believe that academics are eccentric (source: National Science Board. Science and Engineering Indicators — 2014. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation).

Source: HSE website