The article analyzes the reasons why public discontent with pension reform did not grow into a mass political protest. Based on the results of public opinion polls, the author shows that dissatisfaction with the increase in the retirement age was truly widespread and had a significant impact on the social well-being of Russians, as well as their level of confidence in the main government and public-political institutions. However, irritation and disappointment of the population with the activities of the authorities did not escalate into mass political protest and were situational in nature. The main reasons for this are, first, the decline in the proportion of paternalistically oriented population, for whom state pension is relevant, and second, the lack of experience of social, civic and political participation among population groups interested in maintaining the old retirement benefit plan, and, third, the lack of interest of the active part of Russian society, first of all, of the urban middle class, in mainstreaming protest actions. Transformation of public discontent into mass political action, in the opinion of the author of the article, is possible only if an actor appears who is able to rise above the interests of certain social groups, and act as spokesman for the interests of society as a whole.