Russian Demographic (III)

Education



In 2000, the proportion of the population aged 25 and older that had completed at least a high school level education was significantly lower among the foreign-born population at 67.0% than among the Russian-born population at 82.3%. The high school completion rate for the foreign-born population was also 67.0% compared with 80.3% for Russian-born population. Additionally, three major Russian book houses are solely dedicated to distribution of books within the US. With a more educated population base, the Russian segment also has a higher inclination toward readership.

Age



As of 2000, although the median ages of the total foreign-born population and the Russian segment did not differ significantly, the age distributions did. The median age of the total foreign-born population was 38.1 years, with the Russian-born segment having a median age of 32.5 years. The overall foreign-born population was also fairly evenly distributed, with 21.0% of the people under 24 years old, with 58.7% being 25 to 54, and with 17.3% being over 55. The age composition of the Russian-born population, however, was substantially more skewed toward the elderly, with 8.6%, 47.6%, and 44.1% in the under 24, 25-54, and over 55 segments respectively. Clearly, the Russian-born segment also has a higher distribu-tion of older population that is more attentive to improved health and medicine for prolonged well-being.

As the second largest foreign-born market segment with 2.9 million people, the Russian-born Americans consume more goods and services, especially within the medical field, have a higher predisposition to reading and to educational media, and are older in age. Additionally, the members of this segment have traditionally chosen to remain employed and interacting within the Russian ethnic community. In a summary, by effectively addressing the Russian-born segment, The Health Magazine can clearly capitalize on a favorable market opportunity.