Home Prevention What is social well-being and where in Russia is it better? Social well-being: concept, main indicators and approach to study Recommended list of dissertations.

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What is social well-being and where in Russia is it better? Social well-being: concept, main indicators and approach to study Recommended list of dissertations.

Keywords

METHODOLOGY / SOCIO-CULTURAL PORTRAIT OF THE REGION / MONITORING PUBLIC OPINION / SOCIAL WELL-BEING INDEX / SECURITY COEFFICIENT / LIFE SATISFACTION RATIO / SOCIAL OPTIMISM COEFFICIENT/METHODOLOGY/ SOCIO-CULTURAL PORTRAIT OF THE REGION/ MONITORING OF PUBLIC OPINION / INDEX OF SOCIAL WELL-BEING / THE COEFFICIENT OF SECURITY / THE COEFFICIENT OF LIFE SATISFACTION / THE COEFFICIENT OF SOCIAL OPTIMISM

annotation scientific article on sociological sciences, author of the scientific work - Vadim Sergeevich Kaminsky

Social well-being is a subjective indicator of the quality of life of the population and the effectiveness of public administration. There are many methods for measuring it, which can be divided into two groups: author’s and methods of organizations (ForSGO, VTsIOM, CISI Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences). In the Vologda region, the measurement of social well-being according to the methodology of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been carried out since 2008 by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This technique allows us to record three basic components of social well-being: the degree of protection from various dangers, life satisfaction and optimism about the present and future. At the same time, the monitoring regime and the interregional nature of the study make it possible to quickly diagnose changes in the mood of the population, including at a regional level and in terms of social groups. The study allowed us to draw the following conclusions: During the period from 2010 to 2015, the population’s satisfaction with their life increased significantly, at the same time, the level of social optimism and protection from various threats became lower. The lowest level of social optimism and life satisfaction in 2015 was observed among the least affluent residents of the region, people with a low level of education, as well as among residents of districts. At the same time, the minimum value of the index of protection from various threats was recorded in the group of the most affluent. In the same category in 2010-2015. the most significant decrease is observed security factor and social optimism. Thus, the mood of the population is influenced not only by the financial situation, but also by expectations of changes in macroeconomic conditions, living standards, social status, political situation, etc.

Text of scientific work on the topic “Social well-being of the population of the Vologda region in 2010-2015”

BULLETIN OF PERM UNIVERSITY

2016 Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology Issue 1 (25)

DOI: 10.17072/2078-7898/2016-1-136-147

SOCIAL WELL-BEING OF THE POPULATION OF THE VOLOGDA REGION IN 2010-2015

Kaminsky Vadim Sergeevich

Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories RAS

In the Vologda region, the measurement of social well-being according to the methodology of the Institute of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been carried out since 2008 by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This technique allows us to record three basic components of social well-being: the degree of protection from various dangers, life satisfaction and optimism about the present and future. At the same time, the monitoring regime and the interregional nature of the study make it possible to quickly diagnose changes in the mood of the population, including at a regional level and in terms of social groups.

The study allowed us to draw the following conclusions:

During the period from 2010 to 2015, the population's satisfaction with their life increased significantly, at the same time, the level of social optimism and protection from various threats became lower.

The lowest level of social optimism and life satisfaction in 2015 was observed among the least affluent residents of the region, people with a low level of education, as well as among residents of districts. At the same time, the minimum value of the index of protection from various threats was recorded in the group of the most affluent. In the same category in 2010-2015. The most significant decrease in the coefficient of security and social optimism is observed. Thus, the mood of the population is influenced not only by the financial situation, but also by expectations of changes in macroeconomic conditions, living standards, social status, political situation, etc.

Key words: methodology; sociocultural portrait of the region; monitoring of public opinion; social well-being index; security factor; life satisfaction coefficient; social optimism coefficient.

THE SOCIAL WELL-BEING OF THE POPULATION OF THE VOLOGDA REGION IN 2010-2015

Vadim S. Kaminskiy

Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The measurement of social well-being in the Vologda region is carried out by ISEDT RAS since 2008 with the method of CSSCC IP RAS. This method allows to record the three basic components of social well-being: safety from various dangers, life satisfaction and satisfaction concerning the present and the future. Monitoring mode and inter-regional nature of the study allows to diagnose changes in the moods of the population, including in the regional context and the context of social groups.

The research allows to draw the following conclusions:

Between 2010 and 2015 life satisfaction significantly increased, at the same time, the level of social optimism and safety from various dangers decreased.

In 2015 the lowest level of social optimism and life satisfaction was fixed among the poorest residents of the region, persons with low levels of education and among the residents of municipalities. At the same time, the minimum value of the index of security from various threats was fixed among the wealthiest group. In 2010-2015 the same category demonstrated the most significant decline in the coefficient of security and social optimism. Thus, public moods are influenced not only by the current financial situation, but also by the forecasts on macro-economic conditions, living standards, social status, political situation, etc.

Key words: methodology; socio-cultural portrait of the region; monitoring of public opinion; the index of social well-being; the coefficient of security; the coefficient of life satisfaction; the coefficient of social optimism.

In connection with the relevance of the problem of consolidation of Russian society, issues related to the study of the subjective perception of representatives of society of key changes occurring in socio-economic, political and cultural life are of particular importance. The social well-being of the population is an integral indicator that reflects the economic, political and social processes occurring in society.

It is a subjective indicator of the quality of life of the population. It reflects in a concentrated form the degree of adaptation to the modern socio-economic situation, expectations of the future, self-assessment of success, level of anxiety, etc.

Social well-being can also be considered as an indicator of the effectiveness of public administration. It makes it possible to assess the success of political and economic leadership both at the level of society as a whole and within a certain territorial space (region, city).

The first theoretical works devoted to this phenomenon appeared in the mid-1980s. They were made in line with the lifestyle concept. Believing that an individual’s life situation should be considered not only from the point of view of its objective parameters, but also from the point of view of its perception and assessment by the subject, researchers considered emotions, feelings, and moods of individuals as structural units of well-being.

In the 1990s. An important contribution to the formation of a sociological idea of social well-being was made by Zh.T. Toshchenko. Exploring social mood, Zh.T. Toshchenko noted that it has become a dominant factor, the appeal to which to a certain extent becomes central, decisive in explaining fundamental shifts in social life. Social well-being, according to the scientist, is

a basic element, the first level of social mood, including current knowledge, emotions, feelings, historical memory and public opinion.

L.E. Petrova considers social well-being as an integral characteristic of the implementation of an individual’s life strategy and subjective attitude to the surrounding reality; as a syndrome of consciousness, reflecting the relationship between the level of aspirations and the degree of satisfaction of the subject’s needs. Its structure contains both cognitive and affective elements. The sociological approach to the study of social well-being is based on the first of the components.

According to V.M. Chuguenko and E.M. Bobkova, in the study of social well-being, reflexive social-axiological knowledge based on life experience comes to the fore. At the same time, the sociologist’s attention is focused on the analysis of life’s aspirations, revealed in the value orientations, expectations, goals and objectives that people set for themselves, and their assessment of their capabilities in achieving/maintaining the desired status and social role.

To date, there is no unambiguous operationalization of the concept under study through a system of indicators and indicators.

Available methods for measuring social well-being can be divided into two groups: proprietary methods and methods of organizations. Let's look at a few examples.

Each survey involves 56,900 people from 79 regions of the Russian Federation. When rating regions, a rating scale from 1 to 100 points is used. Depending on the score, the region falls into one of 4 groups. As basic criteria

To divide regions into groups, the results of respondents’ answers to four questions about the socio-political situation in the region and the potential for protest were used. As auxiliary criteria for the distribution of regions within groups, the results of respondents’ answers to four questions about their personal financial situation and the presence of problems that make them want to take part in protests were used.

2. Index of social well-being, measured by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM). It is built on the basis of 6 private indices: life satisfaction, social optimism, financial situation, economic situation of the country, political situation, general vector of the country's development.

The empirical basis for calculating indices is data from monthly express surveys conducted by VTsIOM on a representative all-Russian sample in 130 settlements located in 42 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The number of respondents is 1600 people.

Partial indices for each of the considered indicators are calculated as the difference between the sum of positive and average ratings and the sum of negative ratings. An index value above 0 indicates the predominance of positive judgments in society and vice versa.

3. Regional index of consumer sentiment (RIPS) within the framework of the Volgograd Omnibus project. Social well-being is reflected in the values of several indices: the index of interregional comparisons, family status, expectations, purchasing activity, individual optimism, short-term and long-term social optimism.

Their values are measured in the range from 0 to 200. An index value below 100 means a predominance of negative assessments in society, and above 100 - positive ones.

4. Measuring index of social well-being (IISS-44). The authors of the methodology are Ukrainian researchers E.I. Golovakha, N.V. Panina, A.P. Gorbachik. This index reflects almost all areas of a person’s life that are subject to self-assessment by respondents: material well-being, personal security, political conditions of life support, interpersonal relationships, self-assessment of one’s education and abilities, state of physical and mental health, provision of vital and prestigious goods, self-confidence and in your future.

One question is asked: “Which of the following are you missing?” and 44 items are offered.

When calculating the total index of social well-being, the first code position (“not enough”) for each of the indicators is assigned a value of 1 point, the second position (“hard to say, not interested”) 2 points, the third (“enough”) 3 points. Thus, the value of the social well-being index varies from 44 to 132. Values above 88 points can be interpreted as positive social well-being with varying degrees of severity, and below 88 points - as negative.

5. The Center for the Study of Sociocultural Changes of the Institute of Philosophy (CISI IF) of the Russian Academy of Sciences developed the “Sociocultural Portrait of a Region” methodology. Public opinion monitoring carried out using this method provides a wide range of information about the population’s subjective perception of the quality of the environment, their health, the state of the sociocultural environment, labor activity, and social well-being. This methodology includes the social well-being index (SSI) (developed by Doctor of Philosophy N.I. Lapin), which allows you to record its three basic components:

The degree of protection of residents of the region from major social dangers (protection coefficient - Kz). The indicator is the answers to the question “To what extent do you personally feel protected from various dangers today?”, which contains a list of 10 dangerous problems (Table 1). It is defined as the average value of the population’s protection from them (ranging from 0, when the entire population considers itself unprotected, to 1 - the entire population considers itself completely protected from all types of threats).

The degree of satisfaction with your life in general (satisfaction coefficient - Ku). It is measured based on answers to the question “How satisfied are you with your life in general?”

The degree of social optimism (social optimism coefficient - Co). Determined on the basis of 3 questions: confidence in your future - Ko (1), comparison of living standards with last year - Ko (2), expectations in the coming year - Ko (3). The social optimism coefficient is defined as the average of three partial coefficients: Ko = Ko(1) + Ko(2) + Ko(3) / 3.

Each coefficient is calculated on the basis of an interview in which the respondent expresses the degree of his agreement/disagreement with the proposed answers on a 5-point scale: from definitely positive (score 5) to clearly negative (score 1).

The final quantitative value of the answer is determined as a weighted arithmetic average: each point is multiplied by the number (or percentage) of respondents who gave such a point; the products are summed up and averaged (the sum is divided by the number of points (5) and the total number of respondents (or by % of the number of respondents).

All three coefficients are accepted as equivalent; in general, the ISS is calculated as the average of their sum: ISS = (Kz + Ku + Ko) / 3.

According to N.I. Lapin, signals of a state of social well-being that is minimally sufficient for the stability of a community can be considered as ASI values in the range of 0.51 and above, and insufficient - from 0.5 and below.

Index component Questions Answer options

1. Security coefficient (Kz) How much today do you personally feel protected from various dangers (crime, arbitrariness of officials, poverty, environmental threat, arbitrariness of law enforcement agencies, loneliness and abandonment, persecution for political beliefs, harassment due to age or gender, oppression for religious beliefs, infringement due to nationality)? 1. Protected (a). 2. Perhaps protected (a). 3. It's hard to say. 4. Perhaps not protected (a). 5. Not protected at all.

2. Life satisfaction coefficient (Ku) How satisfied are you with your life in general? 1. Satisfied (a). 2. Rather, satisfied (a). 3. I find it difficult to answer. 4. Rather dissatisfied (a). 5. Not satisfied (a).

3. Social optimism coefficient (Co)

Coefficient Ko1 (strategic optimism) How confident or unsure are you about your future today? 1. Quite sure. 2. More confident than not. 3. I find it difficult to answer. 4. Rather unsure than confident. 5. Not at all sure.

Coefficient Ko2 (living better or worse) Have you and your family started living better or worse compared to last year? 1. Life began to be much better. 2. We began to live a little better. 3. Nothing has changed. 4. Life began to get a little worse. 5. Life has become much worse. 6. I find it difficult to answer.

Coefficient Ko3 (tactical optimism) Do you think that in the next year you and your family will live better than today, or worse? 1. We will live much better. 2. We will live a little better. 3. Nothing will change. 4. We will live a little worse. 5. We will live much worse. 6. I find it difficult to answer.

Source: monitoring data “Sociocultural Portrait of the Region”.

Table 1. Methodology for measuring the social well-being index

Research using this method has been conducted since 2005 in 25 regions of the country; since 2008 - in the Vologda region by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development (ISEDT) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Starting from the second wave of the sociological survey, in 2010 the study entered into monitoring mode. The survey was conducted in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015. in ten municipalities of the Vologda region (in two cities - Vologda and Cherepovets and in eight municipal districts). The representativeness of the sample is ensured by meeting the following conditions: proportions between urban and rural populations; proportions between residents of settlements of various types (rural settlements, small and medium-sized cities); gender and age structure of the adult population of the region. Survey method - interview. The sampling error does not exceed 3%.

Trends in social well-being of the population of the Vologda region in 2008-2010. were analyzed in the publication “Sociocultural portrait of the region in the context of changes in 2008-2010.” (author - Doctor of Economics A.A. Shabunova). The study, the results of which are presented in this article, was devoted to the analysis of further dynamics of social well-being (period 2010-2015).

The integral index of social well-being of the population of the Vologda region in 2015 corresponds to the level of 2008 - 0.62 (Table 2), which is higher than the value minimally sufficient for the sustainability of the community (0.51, according to the author of the methodology N.I. Lapin).

Compared to 2010, there was a slight increase in the index (from 0.61 to 0.62). The positive dynamics are due to an increase in the degree of satisfaction with life (from 0.61 to 0.71), while the coefficients of protection from dangers and social optimism decreased (from 0.6 to 0.58 and from 0.61 to 0.57, respectively) .

However, compared to the previous measurement period, negative trends are observed: the ASI decreased by 0.02 (from 0.64 to 0.62). This is due to a decrease in the level of optimistic sentiment in society. The author identified the following feature: strategic optimism (for the long term, Ko1) is growing throughout the entire measurement period: from 2008 to 2015 it increased by 0.01 - from 0.63 to 0.64. At the same time, the overall assessment of the dynamics of life (Ko2) and tactical optimism (for the coming year, Ko3) are deteriorating:

Ko2 decreased by 0.14 (from 0.67 to 0.53), Ko3 - by 0.13 (from 0.68 to 0.55).

That is, people do not harbor hopes of improving their situation in the near future, which is quite logical, given the economic difficulties in the region and the country as a whole. Despite this, residents of the region are not inclined to panic and do not lose confidence in the future. Data from regular monitoring of public opinion by ISEDT RAS (conducted since 1996 at intervals of once every two months, 1,500 people are surveyed in ten municipalities of the Vologda region) confirm a high stock of patience among the population of the Vologda region. In 2015, the share of positive characteristics (“everything is not so bad and you can live”, “life is difficult, but you can endure”) was 78%, negative (“it is no longer possible to tolerate our plight”) - only 15%.

Monitoring “Sociocultural portrait of the region” makes it possible to analyze trends in social well-being in various social groups.

Over the period from 2010 to 2015, the index of social well-being increased in most social groups, especially among the least affluent (by 0.03: from 0.54 to 0.57; Table 3). However, the index value in this category of residents of the region is only 0.07 above the critical level, which is an alarming signal.

In two groups - among the highest income category of the population (who have enough money for almost everything, but it is difficult to purchase an apartment or dacha) and residents of the districts - the ASI decreased (from 0.68 to 0.67 and from 0.60 to 0.59, respectively) .

However, compared to 2012, negative trends are clearly observed: ASI decreased in all social groups. The most significant drop occurred among the wealthiest population (by 0.04: from 0.71 to 0.67).

The minimum value of the social well-being index is observed among residents of the region, who have enough money, at best, for everyday expenses (0.57); the maximum is among those who have enough money for almost everything (0.67).

Table 2. Dynamics of the index of social well-being (and its components) of the population of the Vologda region

Coefficient 2008 2010 2012 2015 Change (+ -) 2015 to

2012 2010 2008

Security coefficient 0.6 0.6 0.58 0.58 0 -0.02 -0.02

Satisfaction coefficient 0.61 0.61 0.71 0.71 0 +0.1 +0.1

Social optimism coefficient, including: 0.66 0.61 0.63 0.57 -0.06 -0.04 -0.11

Coefficient Ko1 (strategic optimism) 0.63 0.63 0.63 0.64 +0.01 +0.01 +0.01

Coefficient Ko2 (living became better or worse) 0.67 0.55 0.61 0.53 -0.08 -0.02 -0.14

Coefficient Ko3 (tactical optimism) 0.68 0.64 0.65 0.55 -0.1 -0.09 -0.13

Social well-being index 0.62 0.61 0.64 0.62 -0.02 +0.01 0

Table 3. Index of social well-being in social groups of the population of the Vologda region

2012 2010 2008

Up to 30 years 0.64 0.63 0.66 0.65 -0.01 +0.02 +0.01

30-60 (55) years 0.63 0.60 0.64 0.62 -0.02 +0.02 -0.01

Over 60 (55) years old 0.59 0.60 0.62 0.61 -0.01 +0.01 +0.02

Education

Without education, primary education, incomplete secondary education, general secondary education 0.59 0.59 0.62 0.59 -0.03 0 0

Primary special, secondary special 0.62 0.61 0.64 0.62 -0.02 +0.01 0

Incomplete higher, higher, postgraduate 0.66 0.63 0.66 0.65 -0.01 +0.02 -0.01

Income groups

There is not enough money for everyday expenses; the entire salary is spent on everyday expenses 0.58 0.54 0.59 0.57 -0.02 +0.03 -0.01

There is enough for everyday expenses, but buying clothes is difficult; basically enough, but to buy expensive items you need to borrow 0.64 0.63 0.65 0.64 -0.01 +0.01 0

There is enough for almost everything, but purchasing an apartment or a dacha is difficult; we deny ourselves practically nothing 0.67 0.68 0.71 0.67 -0.04 -0.01 0

Territories

Vologda 0.61 0.59 0.65 0.64 -0.01 +0.05 +0.03

Cherepovets 0.67 0.64 0.68 0.65 -0.03 +0.01 -0.02

Districts 0.61 0.60 0.62 0.59 -0.03 -0.01 -0.02

Region 0.62 0.61 0.64 0.62 -0.02 +0.01 0

Let us take a closer look at the dynamics of the components of the social well-being index. In 2010-2015 the protection coefficient decreased by 0.02 (from 0.6 to 0.58), which is due to the increased relevance of most dangers (6 out of 10), especially oppression due to religious beliefs and discrimination based on nationality (the protection coefficient from these dangers decreased by 0.07 and 0.06, respectively).

Accordingly, in 2015, compared to 2010, there was a drop in the security coefficient in most social groups, especially among the wealthiest (by 0.08: from 0.64 to 0.56; Table 4). An increase in the coefficient was recorded only among the lowest income category.

goriya population, as well as in Vologda (from 0.56 to 0.57 and from 0.57 to 0.59).

The maximum value of the security coefficient in 2015 was noted among young residents of the region (0.60), the minimum - among people with a high level of purchasing power (0.56). This situation is explained by the fact that young people are less likely than representatives of older categories to encounter the threats presented in the list. People with high incomes have something to lose, so a number of dangers are more pressing for them than for other social groups.

Table 4. Coefficient of protection from hazards in social groups of the population of the Vologda region

Social group 2008 2010 2012 2015 Change (+ -) 2015 to

2012 2010 2008

Up to 30 years 0.61 0.61 0.60 0.60 0 -0.01 -0.01

30-60 (55) years 0.60 0.59 0.59 0.58 -0.01 -0.01 -0.02

Over 60 (55) years old 0.59 0.59 0.56 0.57 +0.01 -0.02 -0.02

Education

Without education, primary education, incomplete secondary education, general secondary education 0.57 0.60 0.57 0.57 0 -0.03 0

Primary special, secondary special 0.59 0.59 0.59 0.58 -0.01 -0.01 -0.01

Incomplete higher, higher, postgraduate 0.63 0.60 0.59 0.58 -0.01 -0.02 -0.05

Income groups

There is not enough money for everyday expenses; the entire salary is spent on everyday expenses 0.57 0.56 0.54 0.57 +0.03 +0.01 0

There is enough for everyday expenses, but buying clothes is difficult; basically enough, but to buy expensive items you need to borrow 0.60 0.61 0.59 0.59 0 -0.02 -0.01

There is enough for almost everything, but purchasing an apartment or a dacha is difficult; we deny ourselves practically nothing 0.62 0.64 0.63 0.56 -0.07 -0.08 -0.06

Territories

Vologda 0.6 0.57 0.57 0.59 +0.02 +0.02 -0.01

Cherepovets 0.64 0.62 0.63 0.58 -0.05 -0.04 -0.06

Districts 0.57 0.6 0.56 0.57 +0.01 -0.03 0

Region 0.6 0.6 0.58 0.58 0 -0.02 -0.02

Overall satisfaction with life of the population of the Vologda region for the period from 2010 to 2015 increased by 0.1 (from 0.61 to 0.71).

Positive trends in 2010-2015 observed in all social groups. The largest increase in the life satisfaction coefficient was noted in Vologda (by 0.15: from 0.61 to 0.76; Table 5).

However, compared to 2012, young people living in the region, people with

low/secondary education, low-income people, and neighborhood residents became less satisfied with their lives.

In 2015, the lowest coefficient of life satisfaction was recorded among residents of regions who have enough money, at best, for everyday expenses (0.62), the highest among those who have enough money for almost everything (0.80).

Table 5. Life satisfaction index in social groups of the population of the Vologda region

Social group 2008 2010 2012 2015 Change (+ -) 2015 to

2012 2010 2008

Up to 30 years 0.64 0.63 0.73 0.74 +0.01 +0.11 +0.1

30-60 (55) years 0.62 0.60 0.71 0.70 -0.01 +0.1 +0.08

Over 60 (55) years old 0.57 0.61 0.69 0.71 +0.02 +0.1 +0.14

Education

Without education, primary education, incomplete secondary, general secondary 0.57 0.58 0.69 0.65 -0.04 +0.07 +0.08

Primary special, secondary special 0.61 0.62 0.70 0.71 +0.01 +0.09 +0.1

Incomplete higher, higher, postgraduate 0.66 0.66 0.75 0.76 +0.01 +0.1 +0.1

Income groups

There is not enough money for everyday expenses; the entire salary is spent on everyday expenses 0.55 0.52 0.65 0.62 -0.03 +0.1 +0.07

There is enough for everyday expenses, but buying clothes is difficult; basically enough, but to buy expensive items you need to borrow 0.63 0.65 0.72 0.74 +0.02 +0.09 +0.11

There is enough for almost everything, but purchasing an apartment or a dacha is difficult; we deny ourselves practically nothing 0.67 0.69 0.80 0.80 0 +0.11 +0.13

Territories

Vologda 0.6 0.61 0.71 0.76 +0.05 +0.15 +0.16

Cherepovets 0.68 0.66 0.76 0.76 0 +0.1 +0.08

Districts 0.59 0.6 0.69 0.66 -0.03 +0.06 +0.07

Region 0.61 0.61 0.71 0.71 0 +0.1 +0.1

The coefficient of social optimism of the population of the Vologda region in 2015 decreased by 0.04 compared to 2010 and by 0.06 compared to 2012 (from 0.61 and 0.63, respectively, to 0.57). As noted above, the reason lies in the growth of pessimistic forecasts for the near future (next year) and the deterioration of general assessments of the dynamics of life (comparison

current standard of living compared to last year). At the same time, forecasts for the long term are more optimistic.

In 2015, compared to 2012 and 2010, the coefficient of social optimism decreased in all categories of the population (Table 6). Over the period from 2010 to 2015, the most significant drop in the coefficient occurred among people with

primary/secondary education and those with a high level of purchasing power (from 0.60 to 0.54 and from 0.71 to 0.65, respectively); for the period from 2012 to 2015 - among persons with primary/secondary education, as well as special education (from 0.61 to 0.54 and 0.63 to 0.56, respectively).

The dynamics of partial coefficients of social optimism are as follows.

The coefficients of general assessment of life dynamics and short-term optimism decreased in all categories of the population. The dynamics of the long-term optimism coefficient are not so clear. The coefficient value is higher than in 2012 and 2010. among young people (by 0.02-0.03), people with a high level of education (by 0.02-0.04), low-income people (by 0.03), as well as residents of Vologda (by 0.01-0.04). 05). At the same time, compared to these periods, the coefficient

As in the case of life satisfaction, in 2015 the minimum value of the social optimism coefficient was recorded among residents of the region who, at best, have enough money for everyday expenses (0.52), the maximum - among those who have enough money for almost everything (0 ,65).

The percentage decreased in the group of people with special education (by 0.01-0.02) and among residents of Cherepovets (by 0.02).

Thus, the study allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1. During the study period (2010-2015), the population’s satisfaction with their life increased significantly, at the same time, the level of social optimism and protection from various threats became lower.

In our opinion, this situation can be explained as follows. Social optimism first

Social group 2008 2010 2012 2015 Change (+ -) 2015 to

2012 2010 2008

Up to 30 years 0.69 0.63 0.65 0.61 -0.04 -0.02 -0.08

30-60 (55) years 0.67 0.60 0.63 0.57 -0.06 -0.03 -0.1

Over 60 (55) years old 0.63 0.60 0.61 0.56 -0.05 -0.04 -0.07

Education

Without education, primary education, incomplete secondary, general secondary 0.64 0.60 0.61 0.54 -0.07 -0.06 -0.1

Primary special, secondary special 0.66 0.60 0.63 0.56 -0.07 -0.04 -0.1

Incomplete higher, higher, postgraduate 0.68 0.63 0.65 0.60 -0.05 -0.03 -0.08

Income groups

There is not enough money for everyday expenses; the entire salary is spent on everyday expenses 0.61 0.54 0.57 0.52 -0.05 -0.02 -0.09

There is enough for everyday expenses, but buying clothes is difficult; basically enough, but to buy expensive items you need to borrow 0.67 0.63 0.64 0.59 -0.05 -0.04 -0.08

There is enough for almost everything, but purchasing an apartment or a dacha is difficult; we deny ourselves practically nothing 0.72 0.71 0.71 0.65 -0.06 -0.06 -0.07

Territories

Vologda 0.63 0.59 0.65 0.58 -0.07 -0.01 -0.05

Cherepovets 0.70 0.65 0.66 0.60 -0.06 -0.05 -0.1

Districts 0.66 0.59 0.61 0.55 -0.06 -0.04 -0.11

Region 0.66 0.61 0.63 0.57 -0.06 -0.04 -0.11

the queue depends on the assessment of income level. This is due to the peculiarities of the specific methodology: the wording of the questions (“Do you think that in the next year you and your family will live better than today, or worse?”, “Have you and your family started to live better compared to last year or worse? ) “push” people to think about material wealth.

In turn, in addition to personal income, life satisfaction is influenced by a number of factors, the most significant of which are: assessment of macroeconomic conditions (the number one factor, significantly surpassing all others in importance), health status, assessment of the work of the government and the work of the healthcare system, external assessment personality and personal achievements. Personal income is inferior to these factors in terms of importance.

In 2014-2015 a new economic crisis began, the financial situation of the population worsened (for example, the main source of income of the population - real accrued wages - in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the corresponding period in 2014 decreased in the region by 10.3%), which entailed a decrease in the level of social optimism as an indicator largely related to financial situation.

2. The study by social groups showed:

The lowest value of the social well-being index was registered among those residents of the region who have enough money, in extreme cases, for everyday expenses; among persons without education or having only general education; as well as among residents of the districts. These social groups show the lowest levels of social optimism and life satisfaction.

Representatives of these categories of the population are characterized by the lowest income, lower social status (for example, it is more difficult for people with a low level of education to find a highly paid and prestigious job), and fewer opportunities. In the regions, compared to large cities, the state of the economy and health care system are worse.

The social well-being of the most affluent residents of the region has negative dynamics. In 2010-2015 the most significant decrease in the level of protection from various threats and social optimism (and, as a result, the index of social well-being as a whole) occurred precisely in this group.

The negative dynamics of indicators of social well-being in the group of the most affluent indicates that the socio-psychological state of the population is influenced not only by the current financial situation, but also by expectations of changes in macroeconomic conditions, living standards, social status, political situation, etc.

The content of the presented index of social well-being does not claim to be universal. Its specific content is limited by the capabilities of the All-Russian monitoring methodology “Values and Interests of Russians” and the “Sociocultural Portrait of the Region” methodology. However, this technique has undoubted advantages: the monitoring regime and the interregional nature of the study make it possible to quickly diagnose changes in the mood of the population, including at a regional level (a comparative analysis of the social well-being of regional residents is the task of future research). Analysis of the index of social well-being in the context of social groups makes it possible to identify categories of people who are “at greatest risk” from the point of view of their socio-psychological state. In the Vologda region these are the following groups:

The least affluent residents

Having a low level of education,

Residents of the districts.

Due to the fact that taking public opinion into account makes it possible to more adequately assess the effectiveness of economic and social policies and to more fully take into account the interests of various population groups when developing and implementing management decisions, information about social well-being can be used in the activities of regional authorities to correct the social policy strategy. Based on the results of this study, it is advisable for regional authorities to focus on the problem of the low standard of living of the least affluent and educated segments of the population. It also seems important to take measures to develop municipalities (in particular, redistribute part of taxes in favor of local budgets).

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The date of the manuscript receipt 10/27/2015

Kaminsky Vadim Sergeevich

Research engineer at the Laboratory for the Study of Social Processes and the Efficiency of Public Administration

Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences,

160014, Vologda, st. Gorky, 56a; e-mail: [email protected]

About the author

Kaminskiy Vadim Sergeevich

Research Engineer of Laboratory for Research of Social Processes and Efficiency of Public Administration

Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 56a, Gorkiy str., Vologda, 160014, Russia; e-mail: [email protected]

Please cite this article in Russian-language sources as follows:

Kaminsky V.S. Social well-being of the population of the Vologda region in 2010-2015. // Bulletin of Perm University. Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology. 2016. Issue. 1(25). pp. 136-147.

Please cite this article in English as:

Kaminskiy V.S. The social well-being of the population of the Vologda region in 2010-2015 // Perm University Herald. Series “Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology". 2016. Iss. 1(25). P. 136-147.

Social well-being of the population of single-industry towns as an indicator level of adaptation to socio-economic transformations

Gushchina Irina Aleksandrovna, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Head. sector,

Kondratovich Dmitry Leonidovich, Ph.D., senior researcher

Polozhentseva Olga Anatolyevna, junior researcher

Sector of Sociological Research of the Institution of the Russian

Academy of Sciences Institute of Economic Problems named after. G.P. Luzina

Kola Science Center RAS

Annotation:the social well-being of the population is one of the factors determining the level of effectiveness of social policy. The article outlines methodological and methodological approaches to its assessment and presents the results of an analysis of sociological information on certain aspects of the social well-being of the population of a number of single-industry towns in the Far North.

Abstract: social feelings of the population are one of the factors to identify the efficiency level of social policy. The article discusses methodological and methodical approaches to their evaluation and presents results of the analysis of sociological information by separate aspects of social feelings of the population in a number of mono-towns of the High North.

Keywords:socio-economic transformations, single-industry towns, diversified economy, social well-being, adaptation.

Keywords:Socio-economic transformations, mono-towns, diversified economy, social feelings, adaptation.

Introduction

One of the modern basic concepts for determining the socio-economic situation in a city is the social well-being of the population. Social well-being appears as a correlation between the level of aspirations and the degree of implementation of a life strategy in a multiple range of areas. In essence, this is the result of social adaptation, the effectiveness of which largely depends on social management.

The article makes an attempt to assess individual components of the social well-being of the population of a number of single-industry towns in the North. The present and future of single-industry towns largely depends on the policy of the enterprise (for example, a significant expansion or reduction in the volume of activities, issues of increasing or decreasing wages, etc.). Under these conditions, the characteristics of the social well-being of residents of single-industry towns are important for understanding the degree of their adaptation to socio-economic transformations, which, due to the monofunctional orientation of economic activity, are more acute.

Methodological and methodological approaches

Among the first researchers of social well-being was B.D. Parygin. It was proposed to evaluate the objective parameters of the life circumstances of individuals and social communities taking into account subjective assessments as structural units (emotions, moods, feelings), which ensured the completeness of scientific analysis.

The term “social well-being” itself firmly entered scientific circulation in the eighties of the twentieth century, which is associated with changes in approaches to the study of social phenomena caused by fundamental changes in Russian reality. In the 90s, this approach was used quite widely and developed in the direction of correlating the results of the analysis of social well-being with the desire to understand and evaluate the formation of new social processes. Briefly, its essence can be defined as an objective analysis of subjective assessments.

When assessing social well-being, a complex of characteristics is taken into account, including motives, needs, interests, communications, self-assessment of one’s own state based on belonging to any processes and phenomena, life strategies and much more.

The system of indicators of social well-being proposed within the framework of the scientific project “Paths of Generation”, an academic study of the mid-80s, seems convincing. For example, such an important indicator as the “level of aspirations” corresponds to the following indicators: life orientation, value of educational and work activities of the family, communication, assessment of characteristics of success. Extensive sociological information was collected and processed about the patterns of the process of social maturation, about the impact of social changes on the path of life. This study largely determined the directions of subsequent work on similar topics and made a great contribution to the formation of methodology.

The Murmansk region is traditionally classified as a resource-producing region, which is confirmed by the history of the development of its territory. Initially, from the 12th century, these lands were settled for the sake of fishing for furs, fish and sea animals. Active development began much later, in the 20th century, with the start of construction of the railway and the Murmansk ice-free port. During the Soviet period, as a result of intensive exploration and development of the subsoil of the Kola North, the mining, chemical, metallurgical and energy industries developed rapidly, which was accompanied by the construction of industrial giants and the emergence of cities around them. Attracting labor to uncomfortable climatic conditions was ensured by a system of benefits and compensation.

Currently, the territory of the Murmansk region is dominated by monofunctional settlements, with fairly large enterprises in the mining and partially processing industries. Products produced by mining enterprises are often not targeted at local and regional markets. In addition, several closed administrative-territorial entities (CLATEs) have been created here, which also belong to the single-industry category. It is necessary to clarify that in the existence and development of ZATOs, the decisive role is played by state interest in the implementation of the defensive function. For the territory of the border Northern region, this is quite relevant, and the presence of such settlements is typical.

In our opinion, such a concentration of monofunctional cities within one region is of interest for studying the specifics of the organization of social life in settlements of this category.

Single-industry cities, in contrast to cities with a diversified economy, are characterized by a certain predetermined social environment. It is determined by the presence of a city-forming enterprise as the main factor in the existence of a given city. The city is a supplier of labor used by the city-forming enterprise; it has formed the necessary social infrastructure for life support and the provision of a certain range of social services. The efficiency of this infrastructure is largely determined by the financial capabilities and social responsibility of the enterprise. The level of unemployment, wages for a significant proportion of citizens, assistance to the socially vulnerable part of the population, and much more depend to a large extent on the implementation of social functions.

For decades, the social and communal structures of single-industry towns were on the balance sheet of city-forming enterprises, which increased their costs and reduced their competitiveness in comparison with similar enterprises in cities with a multifunctional economic structure. In this regard, in the 90s, under new economic conditions, an essentially landslide process of getting rid of the so-called “social system” began. Already in 1999, a study by the Expert Institute showed that more than half of enterprises transferred their housing stock and educational institutions, and more than two-thirds - their preschool institutions to the jurisdiction of municipalities.

Decisions made in the interests of the city-forming enterprise often do not meet the expectations of the population of the entire city and are not consistent with the structure of values declared by the local administration. That is, the effectiveness of social management in single-industry towns is determined by the degree of solidarity of management subjects and the coincidence of their value systems.

In crisis conditions, city-forming enterprises can become the detonator of a social explosion. An example of this is the situation in the city of Pikalevo, Leningrad Region, when in the spring of 2009 only the direct intervention of the federal authorities made it possible to avoid the serious social consequences of inhumane management decisions to shut down the city-forming enterprise and large-scale staff reductions.

We should agree with the point of view of researchers who believe that, due to the specifics of the prevailing economic activity, single-industry towns experience a greater influence of factors and contradictions that arise at the interregional, national and international levels, which are practically impossible to regulate by the local administration. This means that the interaction of residents of a single-industry town with the social environment, in fact, can be assessed as a permanent adaptation process to changing living conditions, and social well-being as an indicator of the response to social transformations.

Analysis of the results of sociological monitoring

Given the variety of approaches to understanding social well-being and its basic elements, the article focuses on one of its components - self-assessment of one’s own state, in accordance with the internal criteria of individuals (emotions, level of optimism, mood, assessments of life situation, etc.).

To assess existing patterns and trends in social well-being, materials from an extensive sociological database were used, formed based on the results of monitoring the social well-being and economic situation of the population of the Murmansk region, carried out over eight years.

Three monofunctional cities of the Murmansk region were identified as the object of analysis: Kirovsk, Monchegorsk and ZATO Aleksandrovsk. The arguments in favor of this choice are as follows:

1. These are the largest monofunctional activity-oriented settlements in the Murmansk region;

2. The city-forming objects of these cities are different in the nature of their activities, but reflect the picture of the general specifics of the single-industry towns of the Murmansk region;

3. Over the past three years, these cities have been represented in the sample for sociological monitoring, which ensures completeness of information.

To more accurately characterize the situation in single-industry towns of the Murmansk region and in accordance with the logic of the study, the evaluative opinions of respondents from cities with a diversified (multifunctional) economy are presented on a number of issues.

The degree of stability of social well-being helps to assess the analysis of the emotional state of the population, performed on the basis of assessments of the current mood. Its general background is defined as a “normal, even state” for all specified cities ranging from 35% to 57% over a three-year period (Fig. 1).

Rice. 1. Estimates of the current mood of the population of single-industry towns, %

The greatest fluctuations with a worsening trend were observed in Kirovsk: the share of such responses from 52% in 2009 decreased to 28.7% in 2011, in addition, here in 2011 the most significant increase in negative sentiment was noted, up to 20%. “I feel fear and melancholy.” The opposite picture was recorded in Monchegorsk: an increase from 43.% in 2009 to 57% in 2011. Assessments of normal, even mood “grew up”

In the second position, answers to the option “I feel tense, irritated”; about a third of respondents adhered to it throughout the entire period.

The greatest stability of sentiment was noted in ZATO Aleksandrovsk, with a slight trend towards positivity. It should be noted that at the height of the crisis, in 2009, it was the residents of single-industry towns who experienced more anxiety and fear, as can be seen when comparing the indices of the current mood of the population of single-industry and multi-industry cities (Fig. 2). Most likely, this can be explained by well-founded fears that the global financial and economic crisis will negatively affect the economic activities of city-forming enterprises, whose products are aimed at world markets.

Rice. 2. Indices of the current mood of residents of single- and multi-profile cities

The internal state of the respondents helps to understand the answers to the question about the degree of satisfaction with the life situation: “In your opinion, which of the following statements most corresponds to the current life situation?” The general picture presented in Fig. 3, indicates a slight predominance of the extreme positive judgment “life is difficult, but you can endure it,” which, in general, seems to indicate satisfaction with life. At the same time, there is no need to talk about emotional peace, since there is an obvious tendency for the share of opinions to decrease on the more positive option: “everything is not so bad and you can live” in the direction indicated earlier. Moreover, in 2011, negative assessments of the life situation significantly “increased” in comparison with 2010: “it is no longer possible to tolerate our plight”: in Kirovsk by 18.6%, in Aleksandrovsk by 23.7% and only in

Rice. 3. Degree of satisfaction with life situation

population of single-industry towns, %

Monchegorsk is less by 3.4%. Conjugations by area of employment showed that of those working (peak values), 22% of representatives of blue-collar professions in Monchegorsk think so; 16.3% of service sector workers in Kirovsk and 13.4% of civil servants in Aleksandrovsk.

The natural relationship between assessments of the current life situation of mood is indicated by the results of the following correlation: among those for whom “it is no longer possible to endure a difficult situation”, about 40% (across three cities in 2011) are respondents with the mood “I feel stressed,

irritation". Obviously, such an emotional state does not contribute to the effectiveness of the adaptation process.

By gender, assessments of the life situation are almost the same, which indicates the commonality of the social situation in which the life strategies of men and women are implemented (approximately the same range of problems and circumstances), as well as the convergence of the social roles of women and men in modern society.

On the contrary, differences of opinion are more noticeable among diametrically opposed age groups. Young people (16-30 years old) are distinguished by both a more positive mood (on average, this figure is about 23% - 30% for each city during the entire period), and greater satisfaction with their life situation, which is quite natural for this category with its inherent optimism. The opinions of older people (over 60 years old) are characterized as extremely pessimistic: for example, in 2011. 79% of Kirov residents, 74% of Aleksandrovsk residents and 63% of Monchegorsk residents identified their life situation as disastrous. It can be assumed that this is a manifestation of the effect of psychological fatigue, caused, among other things, by the variability of the economic, political and social situation, to which this age group has been forced to permanently adapt in recent decades.

Thus, despite the lack of economic stability, satisfaction with the life situation in all cities is still within the limits of positive judgments, but an increase in negative sentiment is obvious in 2011 (more than a third of respondents in each city).

The distribution of opinions about life prospects suggests a predominance of feelings of uncertainty regarding one’s own future (Fig. 4). In 2010, this figure ranged from 37.7% in Monchegorsk and 42% in Kirovsk and Aleksandrovsk .

Fig.4. Characteristics of the degree of confidence in the future of the population of single-industry towns, %

In 2011, while uncertainty levels remained high, in all three cities the proportion of those who were “somewhat unsure” and “not at all sure” about their future increased significantly. When comparing the shares of optimists (the first two options) and pessimists (the last two options), it can be seen, as can be seen in Fig. 4, a clear predominance of the latter.

A comparison of indices of confidence in the future (Fig. 5) of residents of single-industry towns and cities with a diversified economy did not reveal large differences between them, but in general, the trends in the indices in single-industry towns in 2011 indicate a greater degree of decline in confidence in the future.

Rice. 5. Comparison of future confidence indices

in single- and multi-profile cities

Such a distribution of opinions indicates a decreased sense of stability of one’s position, an understanding of the impossibility of influencing the current situation and, ultimately, the formation of sentiments of social apathy. Such sentiments can be confirmed by the results of a study of the degree of dependence of welfare on various branches of government and large enterprises.

Conclusion

Thus, summarizing the opinions of single-industry town respondents about life satisfaction, attitude towards the present and the future and assessing them as internal factors in the formation of social well-being and the corresponding degree of adaptation, the following can be noted:

In the assessments of respondents, average indicators generally prevail, within the limits of positive judgments;

A comparison of the evaluative opinions of respondents in single-industry towns and cities with a diversified economy revealed a greater level of positive and optimistic sentiment among the latter.

For a number of significant positions, trends towards negative assessments are increasing in the formation of sentiments of social apathy.

This ratio indicates the tendency of the population of the studied single-industry towns to have low assessments of the prospects for social development and a slight decrease in their adaptation resource.

Bibliography I

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The article was written based on the materials of the study “Monitoring the economic situation and social well-being of residents of single-industry cities of the Far North”, carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Humanities within the framework of scientific research project No. 11-02-18009e

Single-industry cities and city-forming enterprises: overview report. Edited by Ph.D. Lipsitsa I.V. – M.: Publishing house “Chroniker”, 2000. P. 56

Zerchaninova T.E., Samkov K.N., Turgel I.D. Social efficiency of local administration: experience of sociological research of single-industry towns - Ekaterinburg, 2010, p. 76

Gushchina I.A., Dovidenko N.V. Some aspects of social life in small towns of the northern region // North and Market, 2011. No. 2, pp. 80-83

The study of the respondents’ social and labor relations was not a special purpose of the study, but was considered as an aspect of their social status and one of the components of overall satisfaction with living conditions and social well-being. By occupation, respondents were distributed as follows: workers - 8.3%, pensioners - 26%, office workers - 29.7%, housewives - 4.7%, specialists in various industries - 11.3%, unemployed - 1%, entrepreneurs - 3.3%, military personnel - 0.7%, students - 0.8%. The largest number of respondents worked or are working in industrial sectors (29.3%): service sector (14.7%), education, science (15.7%), healthcare (7.3%), etc.

The respondents were asked to express their attitude towards the possible loss of their job. It turned out that 24% of respondents expressed concern about this prospect, i.e. about a quarter of respondents. A slightly different perspective opens up when one gets acquainted with the distribution of answers from representatives of various socio-professional groups. Workers in the extractive industries, social services, culture and art, office workers and military personnel expressed the greatest concern about losing their jobs. Entrepreneurs and construction workers feel most confident in this regard. Among people with different levels of education, the expectation of job loss is typical for people with higher and secondary specialized education (31.7%). It is interesting that among men and women the share of pessimists in assessing labor prospects is almost the same.

Only 14% of respondents are ready to acquire a new profession if they lose their job. This differs significantly from the data of an all-Russian survey conducted by the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation, according to which, if they lose their job, every second person considers it acceptable to retrain and master a new profession. The reason for the discrepancy lies, apparently, in the level of education and social prestige of existing professions. The concept of “social and everyday status of an individual” has acquired in the current crisis conditions an unprecedented significance and urgency. In sociology, social status is understood as an integrative indicator reflecting, in the sense of equality or inequality with other subjects of social interaction. The everyday aspect of status records the measure of social well-being and material security of a subject - in comparison with similar indicators of other subjects.

The analysis of the standard of living was based on subjective indicators, in other words, the self-perception and self-esteem of individuals. In the questionnaire, the population was stratified into three main groups according to their standard of living: those who consider themselves a) quite well off, b) moderately well off, c) poorly off. 5.3% classified themselves in the first group, 40.7% in the second group, and 47% in the third group.

Status groups appear in a slightly different light when they are built taking into account factors such as occupation or education. There are completely no well-off people among housewives and the unemployed. Among workers, only 6.3% reported full security. According to subjective self-assessment, the largest number of wealthy people are among pensioners - 31.3%. Apparently, this is explained both by the size of pensions and by the insignificant level of aspirations of people of retirement age. In this regard, it is interesting that among entrepreneurs only 12.5% considered themselves quite wealthy.

Significant differentiation in pension amounts, as well as a number of other socio-economic and psychological factors, have led to the fact that pensioners are also leaders in the group of low-income people. They are followed by employees and workers.

Among people with higher education, 50% of respondents consider themselves wealthy, with secondary and specialized secondary education - 12.5%, primary and incomplete secondary education - 25%.

Also of interest is the answer to question 6 of the questionnaire: “Approximately what percentage of your family’s budget goes to food products?” It turned out that 16.7% of respondents spend up to 50% of the family budget on food, 36.3% - up to 70-80%, 47% - up to 90. Thus, the percentage of residents who spend their money mainly on food fully corresponds to the percentage of low-income people . Such a correlation certainly reflects the objective state of affairs.

One of the most important indicators of a respondent’s social and living status is housing conditions. A third of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their housing.

The variety of specific living conditions of many individuals complicates comparative sociological analysis and assessment of the social status of certain groups and categories of the population. Monitoring observation and prolonged analysis of the dynamic characteristics of social processes according to standard indicators (employment, level of profitability, property status, etc.) are necessary. However, even a one-time slice used in this survey allows us to draw some conclusions.

The contradiction between professional status and level of profitability seems obvious. The fact that half of the district's population considers itself to be low-income groups potentially poses a threat of social or socio-psychological conflict. This situation must be carefully analyzed and taken into account by the district leadership when making management decisions.

The standard of living, the conditions of social existence, refracted and reflected in the consciousness of the individual, give rise to a wide range of experiences, attitudes, and motives that stimulate the active social activity of the subject. The most directly conscious reaction of a subject to specific conditions of life is the phenomenon of satisfaction - a state of balance between requirements, environmental conditions and the intentions and expectations of a subject included in the system of social interaction. By its psychological nature, satisfaction is an emotional-evaluative attitude of an individual or group towards the achieved social status and the prospects for its changes. Being closely connected with the range of life needs of the subject, the feeling of satisfaction at the same time has a certain independence from them. It is influenced by fluctuations in mass sentiment, psychological stereotypes, and the state of public opinion.

The phenomenon of a subject’s social well-being is characterized by even deeper emotional and psychological properties. In psychology, it is interpreted as a feeling of physiological and psychological comfort (discomfort) of a person’s general internal state, as a measure of his satisfaction with his situation and relationships with other people, the experience of the availability (inaccessibility) of basic goods that provide vital needs. The complexity and multicomponent nature of this phenomenon encourages the researcher, in the process of analysis, to “split” it into its main elements, inviting the respondent to evaluate each of them separately. A number of such empirical indicators were included in the questionnaire.

First of all, respondents were asked to determine the level of their life satisfaction according to the following criteria:

Quite satisfied;

Not fully;

Not satisfied;

Hard to say.

Summarized answers to this question are contained in the appendix. 13.3% of respondents considered themselves completely satisfied, and 48.7% considered themselves not fully satisfied. Dissatisfied with life - 20.3%. Among those dissatisfied with their lives, the largest share is occupied by pensioners, office workers, and people with low incomes.

The fourth question of the questionnaire revealed the problems that most concerned respondents. For 47% of respondents, the most pressing problem is “lack of money.” 30% are concerned about “poor health.” Next comes the housing problem and the lack of garden space. Up to 10% of respondents experience difficulties in family and raising children.

It was proposed to identify factors that most negatively affect mood. The economic indicator again comes first - the high cost of food and industrial goods. The respondents also expressed concern about the dirt on the streets, the functioning of public transport, and the criminal situation. At the same time, environmental problems and foul language in public places have virtually no effect on the mood of residents. Apparently this is due to the fact that during a crisis period people’s attention is focused on survival, and environmental and ethical factors fade into the background in their minds.

The anxiety indicator analyzes in relation to manifestations of crime. Respondents were asked to answer the question: “Are you afraid of being attacked?”

On the street;

In public places;

The respondents considered the street to be the most dangerous in terms of crime. In public places and at home, most residents feel fairly protected.

An important indicator of the health of society is the presence and diversity of social contacts. As a rule, in favorable conditions they grow; in difficult times, people’s attention and energy are directed mainly to themselves and their family.

The study showed that for the majority of respondents, the circle of acquaintances is limited to neighbors on the landing. There are practically no contacts with other residents of the microdistrict. The exceptions are housewives, military personnel and entrepreneurs, whose circle of acquaintances is more extensive.

The questionnaire asked about willingness to provide services to housemates (48). In general, the degree of such readiness can be assessed as low. About 15% of respondents expressed their willingness to provide free childcare and grocery shopping. A small number of respondents expressed a desire to help with cleaning the apartment, repairing electrical appliances, doing laundry, and other household problems: from 3 to 8%. However, the form of assistance (free or for a fee) did not have a significant impact on the results. It is interesting that among pensioners only 1-2% of respondents expressed their willingness to provide paid services to their housemates, i.e. such activities are not considered as an additional source of income.

At the same time, many residents of the district are psychologically inclined to expand contacts. Answering the question: “What events held in the municipal district would you be happy to take part in?” respondents name such collective actions as landscaping, sports competitions, community clean-up days, various kinds of holidays and folk festivals.

For the purpose of a more differentiated analysis of the causes of anxiety associated with raising children, the following answer options were proposed:

Health status;

Schooling;

Having bad habits;

Future Employment;

Admission to a university or technical school.

Regardless of the level of wealth of families, the greatest concern is the health and employment of children. It is significant that for the majority of parents surveyed, their children’s studies, as well as their bad habits, are not factors of concern.

When assessing the general psychological mood and feeling of comfortable life, it is important to take into account the answers to question 18 of the questionnaire: “How would you describe your house, yard, neighborhood?”

When characterizing a home, the respondents' predominant definitions are those with a positive emotional connotation: “bright”, “own”, “order”, “cozy”, “satisfaction”.

In assessing the yard, mostly positive terms are also used, however, about a third of the respondents use the definition “uncomfortable”, “chaos”, and 27% of the yard inspires anxiety. The description of the microdistrict is approximately the same.

It should be noted that these estimates vary significantly across different socio-professional groups. When military personnel assess the neighborhood, negative characteristics predominate; more than 63% of them said that the yard gives them anxiety. Meanwhile, students use exclusively positive terms in their descriptions. Housewives rate the condition of their neighborhood much higher than their own yard. When describing a house, yard, and neighborhood, workers equally use the concepts of “chaos” and “restlessness.”

Summarizing the answers to these questions, it is necessary to emphasize that despite the significant difficulties noted by the respondents, 62% of them are completely or partially satisfied with their lives. This situation can be described as social tolerance.

End of work -

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Introduction: regional models of social protection of the population: problems, technologies

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Table 4

Will priority projects allow you to change the following areas of your life (your life*

Answer option Yes No Difficult to answer

Health status 32 54 14

Level of education 28 56 16

Providing food 18 62 20

Housing conditions 22 60 18

Financial situation 12 68 20

Received 07/13/11.

THE CONCEPT OF “SOCIAL WELL-BEING” IN SOCIOLOGY

O. N. Sunyakina

This concept represents the emotional and evaluative attitude of individuals to the surrounding social reality and their place in it. At the level of social groups and communities, this concept reflects social sentiments and the degree of social stability/instability of society.

The concept of social well-being in sociology has a relatively recent history. Published in the mid-1960s. B. D. Parygin’s monograph “Public Mood” is one of the first studies in the study of this concept. An analogue of this definition in foreign studies is subjective well-being subject well benign, which draws the attention of researchers to the subjective state of society and individual social groups.

The term “social well-being” has already entered into scientific terminology, but there are still problems with a clear definition of the concept. For the purposes of sociological analysis and its interpretation, two traditions have been identified. The first is related to the use of this term, rather intuitively and metaphorically; the second, rooted in the research of Russian scientists of the early 20th century: V. M. Bekhterev, P. P. Viktorov, L. N. Voitolovsky and L. I. Petrazhitsky, - with the “psychologization” of social well-being

actions. Closer to everyday knowledge, without a serious theoretical basis, the first tradition of studying the concept of “human well-being” interprets it as “the state of a person’s physical and mental strength” as a whole, focusing rather on the existential, mental and moral state of a person.

The second tradition of interpreting social well-being in a psychological aspect considers it as a system of subjective sensations indicating one or another degree of physiological and psychological comfort. It includes both a general qualitative characteristic (positive, borderline, negative well-being) and private experiences, variously localized (discomfort in different parts of the body, difficulties in performing actions, difficulties in understanding).

In medicine and valeology, social well-being is interpreted as a subjective indicator reflecting the level of physical

O. N. Sunyakina, 2011

BULLETIN of Mordovian University | 2011 | No. 3

physical and mental capabilities of a person. Well-being is considered here as the totality of all the physiological sensations of an individual, the state of his health, which has a significant impact on human activity and the quality of well-being (positive, borderline, negative (pathological)).

The sociological tradition of studying social well-being developed approximately from the 1980s to the early 1990s, which were marked by the flourishing of empirical research in Russian sociology. However, most publications of this period are marked by an underestimation of the complex nature and apparent simplicity of the concept. Against this background, it is worth highlighting the research of L. Ya. Rubina and T. B. Beryadnikova, who connect social well-being with the reflection of the state of society in people’s consciousness and actions. A. S. Balabanov considers social well-being at the level of social figures [Cited from: 2, p. 117].

I. V. Okhremenko considers the phenomenon of social well-being as a special state of mass consciousness, as “... a socio-psychological state of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with social existence” [Cit. from: 1, p. AND].

G. M. Orlov understands social well-being as “... the initial and dynamic complex of an individual’s attitudes towards meaningful changes and transformations of his own life.” The author proceeds from the fact that methodological approaches to identifying the structure of well-being should involve an analysis of two main spheres of life: socio-economic and socio-political [Cit. from: 1, p. 12].

E.V. Tuchkov operationalized the concept of “social well-being,” which included an analysis of social tension, which he classified as “...an integral social phenomenon formed on the basis of people’s high dissatisfaction with their social, economic and political situation” [Cit . from: 1, p. 12]. He identified five blocks of social tension: economic, social, demographic, environmental and political, of which, according to expert assessment, in the conditions of the Center of Russia three are of predominant importance: economic, social and political. Specifying the composition of these blocks and studying regional differences in the corresponding indicators allowed E.V. Tuchkov to propose a system of maximum permissible values.

of regional indicators of social tension. Thus, we can talk not only about “performance”, but also about the effectiveness of using the concept of “social well-being” to analyze the phenomenon of social behavior.

In the concept of social mood, Zh. T. Toshchenko and S. Kharchenko consider social well-being as a basic element, the first level of social mood and includes “... actual knowledge, emotions, feelings, historical memory and public opinion.” Thus, they associated the essence of the concept of social well-being with the subjective reflection of a person’s sensory, mental and moral state, physical and mental capabilities. Based on this understanding of social well-being, O. L. Barskaya proposed the following typology of social well-being.

The first type of social well-being is defined by O. L. Barskaya as “career”. People belonging to this group expect promotion, career growth, etc. There is a clear tendency for change in this type.

To the second type, called “mobilization,” the same researcher includes people who are in a state of expectation of change in combination with an idea of \u200b\u200bways to solve emerging problems.

The third type of social well-being is called “stability” by O. L. Barskaya. For its representatives, loss of their current job is unlikely, as well as occupation, entrepreneurship and career growth.

The fourth type of social well-being is “negative expectations.” This is the expected loss of work, as well as the opportunity and desire to start a business, the lack of positive changes in the future

In Russian sociology, there are also several approaches that define social well-being as a person’s satisfaction with various aspects of life. Proponents of this approach view social well-being as a reflection of lifestyle. There is also an approach in which social well-being is considered as “...an integral characteristic of the implementation of an individual’s life strategy, attitude to the surrounding reality, its subjective aspects.”

Nevertheless, social well-being is a rather complex indicator of social attitude, and it cannot be reduced solely to the level of income, to awareness

Series “Sociological Sciences”

identifying yourself as poor, middle-income or wealthy.

Ya. N. Krupets believes that to analyze social well-being, criteria should be identified that cover a wider range of indicators: 1) standard of living: income; financial situation, security; employment and unemployment; guarantee of social protection; free time, rest; parenting; 2) health status;

3) emotional and psychological state;

4) social self-perceptions: identification; state of comfort; social values; 4) level of anxiety and hope for help; 5) level of civic activity; 6) life strategies: survival; development, self-realization; well-being; integration of attitudes towards “strangers”; self-assessment of potential: professional, social experience, personal qualities. Each block ends with an assessment of the current life situation, making plans for the future in the future.

T. T. Tarasova, developing ideas about indicators of social well-being, identifies the following factors influencing social well-being - socio-economic, political, migration. Thus, in particular, the indicators of the socio-economic block of factors, in her opinion, reflect the level of social adaptation of the population to socio-economic and political transformations, the degree of satisfaction with the financial situation, the level of social optimism/pessimism also determines the rating of the most significant socio-economic and political problems. The political bloc makes it possible to assess the attitude of the population towards the main state institutions at the federal and regional levels, to determine the political orientations of citizens [Cited from: 2, p. 118].

A person’s social well-being is determined by the degree to which his social needs are satisfied, which in turn are derived from the existing system of social goods in society, their production and distribution. The more a person feels a lack of social benefits, the worse his social well-being. It includes a rich range of factors: satisfaction with living conditions, people’s self-assessment of their daily mood, all sorts of current and future assessments of the country’s economic situation, the material well-being of families, indicators of social optimism regarding the economic sphere, the political situation,

tions regarding the course of economic reforms, the degree of trust in leading politicians and political structures.

N.N. Kobozeva believes that the features of social well-being as a sociological concept consist of the following provisions. The first feature, in her opinion, is the predominance of the so-called external locus of control, in which people see the source of their experiences in the social environment. The state of social well-being depends on the individual’s self-esteem, assessment of one’s potential, one’s own material security and comparison of oneself with others.

The second feature is that the state of social well-being has an objective and subjective basis. The objective reflects aspects of the emotional-evaluative attitude of individuals to the system of existing social relationships and their social status, measured through the sufficiency/inadequacy of objective conditions for the realization of their own aspirations. The subjective basis reflects the individual’s perception of the well-being of his own life and is measured through satisfaction / dissatisfaction with his life achievements and living conditions. It defines social well-being as an organic combination of subjective and objective life factors, physiological and psychological capabilities of the individual, positive and negative conditions for the formation of a life strategy.

The third feature of the characteristics of social well-being is the dependence on external conditions and the internal state of a person, which explains1 the interaction

connection between social well-being and social adaptation. In the understanding of this researcher, social well-being is a factor and indicator of personality adaptation. A change in one entails changes in the other. This is the bivalence of the phenomenon being studied.

Thus, despite the lack of a clear definition of the concept of social well-being, it can be interpreted as a state of an evaluative nature, a subjective perception of reality and oneself in it regarding certain situations, problems, events occurring in the sphere of social life, i.e., where Motivational factors of behavior and action are most clearly manifested. The most significant for the analysis of social well-being are:

BULLETIN of Mordovian University J 2011 | No. 3

The following indicators are shown: 1) standard of living: income; financial situation, security; employment and unemployment; guarantee of social protection; quality of free time; 2) emotional and psychological state; 3) social

sense of self: identification; state of comfort; social values;

4) life and adaptation strategies;

5) self-assessment of potential: professional, social experience, personal qualities.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST

1. Golovakha E. N. Integral index of social well-being of the population of Ukraine before and after the “Orange Revolution” / E. N. Golovakha, N. M. Panina // Vestn. societies, opinions. - 2005. - No. 6. - P. 10-15.

2. Kobozeva N. N. Social well-being as a sociological category / N. N. Kobozeva // Vestn. Stavropol state University [Stavropol]. - 2007. - No. 50. - P. 117-122.

3. Krupets Ya. N. Social well-being as an integral indicator of adaptation / Ya. N. Krupets // Socis. - 2004. - Lg ° 3. - P. 5-10.

4. Parygin B. D. Public mood / B. D. Parygin. - M.: Mysl, 1966. - 327 p.

5. Toshchenko Zh. T. Social mood - a phenomenon of modern sociological theory and practice / Zh. T. Toshchenko // Socis. - 1998. - No. 1. - P. 21-35.

Received 07/13/11.

TRAUMA OF SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE REPUBLIC OF MORDOVIA

N. Yu. Abudeeva, O. A. Bogatova

The article analyzes the consequences of post-Soviet social changes in the aspect of social pathologies, substantiates the relevance of the concept of “trauma of social changes” by P. Sztompka to the study of social development of the Russian region using the example of the Republic of Mordovia.

In sociology, social change refers to the transformations that occur over time in organizations, the structure of society, patterns of thinking, culture, and social behavior. This is the transition of a social object from one state to another; significant transformation of social organization, social institutions; growth of diversity of social forms, etc.

Changes are differences between what the system was in the past and what became of it after a certain period of time. “At one time, social change was idealized as undeniably positive, promoting progress. The experience of the twentieth century, having concentrated social change on an incredible scale, the present century of change, produces a different

impression" . This is how the idea emerged that variability itself can undermine the normal course of social life, deal a kind of blow to members of society, cause stress and give rise to a state of a kind of trauma. Despite the obvious relevance, theoretical and practical significance of studying the trauma of social change, especially in the new conditions of development of Russian society, this concept is poorly developed in sociological science today.

The theory of traumatic social changes, applicable to former socialist countries, is developed in detail by one of the leaders of modern world sociology, the outstanding Polish scientist Piotr Sztompka. Signs of traumatic changes, according to Sztompka, are sharp, sudden

Series “Sociological Sciences”

In which country does the population live better - in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or Ukraine? Is it possible to objectively answer this question? How to measure people's happiness level? How to translate human happiness and sorrow into digital expression? And what are the results of such measurements?

1. Introduction. Currently, research related to socio-economic diagnostics is gaining momentum. This process has most actively captured applied economics. Moreover, among economists there is already an understanding that indicators of the current economic situation make it possible to solve not only narrow practical problems, but also global tasks of generalizing the patterns of functioning of the national economy.

A typical example of large-scale activity in constructing annual economic indicators is the work of the rating agency Expert magazine, which, using the methodology it developed, annually assesses the investment rating of all regions of Russia. Such work provides information for comparing the investment climate across time and space. A characteristic feature of practical work with investment ratings from the Expert magazine agency is that, despite the complexity of the statistical and methodological procedure for determining them, this does not prevent their use not only by private investors, but also by specialists of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation.

Unfortunately, such work is not yet being carried out in sociology, although the practical need for it is felt more and more clearly. It is now quite obvious that all economic indicators of territorial development must be complemented by similar social indicators. Moreover, these social indicators should not represent statistical aggregates based on heterogeneous social statistics data, but quantitative estimates obtained by aggregating the results of sociological surveys. The point is that the social rating of a territory (country, region, city, etc.) should be an assessment of the social well-being of the population of this territory. Only this approach will allow us to move away from the scholasticism of an infinite number of poorly measured social statistical indicators and to reach a generalized self-assessment of the population of its own social status. Despite the subjective nature of such assessments, they will provide the most reliable and objective information about the social well-being of the population of the study area.

The current unsatisfactory state of affairs in the field of social monitoring is largely due to the fact that in sociology there are no generally accepted approaches to constructing appropriate social indicators that can act as social ratings. As I.V. Zadorin rightly noted, “applied sociologists, especially in the regions, use literature and methods that are 20-30 years old.” In fact, sociologists in their work continue to use primitive data on the proportion of respondents who chose one or another answer to a particular question. This approach can be considered quite justified when conducting one-time unique surveys. However, if surveys take the form of systematic monitoring and require comparisons across time and space, more sophisticated and specific analytical tools become necessary.

Currently, the idea of constructing comprehensive social indicators is already in the air. In this work we will try to bring this idea to its logical conclusion.

2. Algorithms for constructing indices of social well-being of the population. Currently, two approaches to constructing integral assessments of the social well-being of the population can be distinguished. Let's look at them in more detail.

The first approach is based on calculating the so-called satisfaction coefficient. In relation to the study of the problem of life satisfaction, this indicator represents the difference between the proportion of respondents who are generally satisfied with their life and the proportion of respondents who are generally dissatisfied with it. Sometimes the life satisfaction coefficient takes a graphical form and is “revealed” in the form of two histograms: the share of respondents who are generally satisfied with their life, and the share of respondents who are generally not satisfied with it. Comparing the heights of these columns allows us to position society from the position of the predominance of optimistic or pessimistic sentiments. However, this approach has a number of disadvantages.

Firstly, both the life satisfaction coefficient itself and both histograms are poorly normalized.

Secondly, both the life satisfaction coefficient and both histograms do not take into account at all the proportion of respondents who found it difficult to give a specific answer to the question posed. An increase in this proportion leads to automatic trimming of histograms, which leads to their poor normalization.

Thirdly, adding the shares of respondents who are completely satisfied with life with those who are more satisfied with it than not is not entirely correct, since here, by default, two completely different social groups are equated. A similar procedure arises when adding groups of respondents who are completely dissatisfied with life with those who are rather dissatisfied with it than satisfied. This aggregation procedure itself has two disadvantages. Let's look at them.

The first drawback is due to the fact that adding two groups of respondents leads to a loss of accuracy of social diagnostics. For example, the first histogram may have the following structure: 5.0% of people who are completely satisfied with life; 45.0% of people who are more likely to be satisfied with it than not. The second histogram may have a completely different structure: 45.0% of people who are completely dissatisfied with life; 5.0% of people who are rather dissatisfied with it than satisfied. Even though these histograms are formally equal (50% each and the coefficient of life satisfaction is equal to zero), they have a completely incomparable structure and only disorient the researcher. The second drawback is related to the fact that when aggregating two groups, we lose a lot of important information, the receipt of which was originally included in the question and the structure of the answers to it. If it were necessary to obtain two histograms, then it would be possible to provide not four, but only two options for answering the question posed to the respondents.

Sometimes in applied research a modification of the satisfaction coefficient is used, which is sometimes called the satisfaction index and is calculated as the difference between the sum of positive and average ratings and the sum of negative ratings. In this case, the line of demarcation between positive and negative sentiments in society is defined in such a way that average ratings (neither good nor bad) complement the positive array. The rationale for this approach is the fact that average indicators act as evidence of a “not bad” state of affairs, a kind of stability. This method has all the same disadvantages as the usual satisfaction rate, some of them to an even greater extent.

The second approach to constructing integral assessments of the social well-being of the population, which allows one to avoid the listed shortcomings, is based on calculating the so-called satisfaction index. In relation to the problem of life satisfaction, this indicator represents the following construction J:

where i is the respondents’ answer to the question; n is the total number of provided options for answering the question; x i - the proportion of respondents who indicated the i-th answer option (in percentage); a i a i≤1).

However, design (1) also has a number of disadvantages. The main one is related to setting the weight coefficient a n for the last answer to the question. This option is standard for sociological surveys and accumulates a group of respondents who find it difficult to answer the question posed. In a simplified version, this coefficient is assigned zero weight a n= 0 . However, the same weight is assigned to a group of people who give a categorically negative answer (for example, they are completely dissatisfied with their life). This means that the two indicated categories of respondents are equated, which is unlawful, because undecided respondents, generally speaking, can be considered neither optimists nor pessimists. Under certain external influences, they can move to any group. Meanwhile, if this group is not reset to zero, then it is not clear what weight to assign to it. We will henceforth call this problem the “closing weight coefficient” problem.

Taking into account the above, it can be argued that index (1) gives systematically underestimated estimates of social well-being relative to their true value. Considering that the proportion of people who find it difficult to give a definite answer can in some cases be very significant, the distortion of the desired picture of the process can also be very significant. This is the main disadvantage of index (1).

How to eliminate this shortcoming?

To do this, you can use a slightly different methodology for diagnosing the social well-being of the population, which can be classified as two-parametric. Let's look at it in more detail.

The first parameter to be assessed, as in case (1), will be a certain adjusted index of social well-being I, calculated using the following formula:

where i is the respondents’ answer to the question; n is the total number of provided options for answering the question; a i- weight coefficient of the i-th answer option (0≤ a i≤1); zi is the adjusted proportion of respondents who indicated the i-th answer option (in percentage), which is calculated as follows:

Where x n- the share of respondents who indicated the final answer option (in percentage).

In accordance with methodology (2) and (3), social well-being is taken into account only in relation to decided respondents; Those who find it difficult to answer are generally discarded when determining the index (2). This approach is certainly justified, but the question of the legality of dropping the sampling element from consideration x n remains open. To eliminate this drawback, one more parameter can be introduced into consideration - the uncertainty index R = xn. This indicator diagnoses the degree of disorientation of respondents on the issue under consideration. Indeed, if the respondent cannot determine his state even at a qualitative level, then this indicates his complete disorientation regarding the events taking place. The larger the group of undecided respondents, the greater the risk that, under unfavorable circumstances, the group of people who gave a negative answer may be significantly replenished at the expense of the nth group. Thus, it is advisable to analyze the social well-being of the population using two indices (parameters) - the social well-being index I itself and the social uncertainty index R.

The introduction of a two-parameter procedure for diagnosing the social climate has a fairly clear analogy in economic science. Thus, in accordance with the classical theory, the main driving force of capital, producing inter-industry, inter-country and inter-sectoral flows, is the rate of return on capital. This is the main financial indicator that forms a simple investment rule: the higher the rate of return, the greater the desire to invest capital in the corresponding event. However, modern financial theory supplements this indicator with another, no less important indicator - a risk indicator. There is a reverse motivation here: the greater the risk, the less incentive to invest capital in the corresponding event. In practice, securities market participants, for example, use the dispersion of financial asset quotes as an indicator of risk. Moreover, the following dependence is typical for economic markets: the higher the rate of profit, the higher the risk. Thus, none of the considered indicators can be discarded when analyzing the investment climate.

In our case, the analogue of the rate of return indicator is the social well-being index I, and the analogue of the risk indicator is the social uncertainty index R. Moreover, the analogy between investment and social indicators turns out to be even deeper than one might expect. So, if in economics the parameters of financial capital are studied, then in sociology - the parameters of such a phenomenon as social well-being, which is one of the most important elements of human capital. In addition, there is a clear analogy in the laws of formation of the investment and social situation. Thus, the basis of the movement of financial capital is such a fundamental but elusive concept as trust. At the heart of changes in social well-being lies an equally fundamental and elusive concept - mood. Both investor confidence and public sentiment belong to the class of, if not equivalent, then at least related concepts and are characterized by extreme volatility. Sometimes even a slight pressure from external factors can completely change their initial state: trust easily turns into suspicion and mistrust, and an optimistic mood quickly gives way to caution and pessimism.

Thus, the proposed two-parameter methodology for diagnosing the social well-being of the population, based on the assessment of the I and R indices, is in good agreement with the existing theoretical and practical standards in economics, which is currently the undisputed leader in the field of constructing analytical indicators.

However, despite all the advantages of the two-parameter method for diagnosing the social well-being of the population, one cannot fail to note its disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the need to track two different indices. Sometimes, when analysis occurs simultaneously in time and space, such a procedure becomes cumbersome. In this regard, it is quite legitimate to set the task of merging two indices into one, that is, into one that will be a kind of integral indicator that accumulates both aspects of the social well-being of the population. This can be done using the following generalized index of social well-being of the population D:

where k is the correction factor.

From (4) it is easy to see that when R→0 the difference between the three indices of social well-being is leveled out: D→I→J. Ideally, R=0 and D=I=J. Thus, there is methodological continuity between all three indices, which facilitates their practical use.

3. Testing the index of social optimism of the population. To illustrate the work of the indices D, I and J introduced into consideration, we will use the data of a sociological survey on the expectations of the population conducted by VTsIOM in April 2005 (Table 1).

Table 1. How will you and your family live in a year? % (April 2005).

Possible answer	Russia	Kazakhstan	Belarus	Ukraine
1. Much better	3,7	14,7	3,4	6,4
2. Somewhat better	17,2	41,1	19,2	31,0
3. Same as now	43,1	39,9	39,5	27,0
4. Somewhat worse	20,0	3,2	9,9	10,0
5. Significantly worse	4,0	0,9	2,5	4,2
6. I find it difficult to answer	12,0	0,2	25,5	21,4

Based on Table 1, it is possible to construct an index of social optimism J with the following weighting coefficients: a 1=1,0; a 2=0,75; a 3=0,5; a 4=0,25; a 5=0; a 6=0 (group index numbers are indicated in Table 1). The values of the entire set of indices D, I and J are given in Table 2.

When calculating index D, the value of the correction factor k was taken equal to 0.001, that is, k=0.001. This value is due to the fact that a large value of the uncertainty index without a correction factor leads to too much underestimation of the social optimism index. As a result of experimental calculations, the value k=0.001 was chosen as the most acceptable. Moreover, all indices of social optimism are normalized as follows: 0≤J,I,D≤100%. The closer the index value is to 100%, the more optimistic the population’s expectations. In addition, all indices have several critical points that help diagnose the current situation: values below 50% indicate the predominance of pessimistic sentiments; values above 50% indicate the predominance of optimistic moods; a deviation of the index below the 25 percent mark means an extremely unsatisfactory situation in the mood of the population; The index's rise above the 75 percent mark indicates the dominance of an optimistic view of the future among the population.

What conclusions can be drawn based on the calculated indices?

Firstly, there are enormous differences between the SES countries in terms of the uncertainty of the social situation. The difference between the R index for Kazakhstan and Belarus is 25.3 percentage points, which indicates the incomparability of the social climate in these countries. The complete misunderstanding of the social situation by the population of Belarus is opposed to the excellent social orientation of the population of Kazakhstan.

Secondly, the shift between the J and I indices can be quite significant. Thus, for Belarus it is 13.7 percentage points. Thus, the J index systematically underestimates the true values of social optimism, and the I index systematically overestimates them. The magnitude of the bias depends on the uncertainty index R.

Thirdly, the assessment of the J and I indices indicates the need to introduce into the analysis the uncertainty index R and the generalized index D. This is due to the fact that the J and I indices can give fundamentally different results. For example, according to the J index, Belarus ranks last after Russia, while recalculation according to the I index moves it to penultimate place before Russia. Consequently, the transition from one index to another can lead to recombination of elements of the system being studied and a change in their ranking system. In addition, the distortion of the original result can occur along one more line. Thus, in accordance with the J index, Belarus falls into the group of countries with a predominance of pessimistic sentiments of the population, while the I index moves it into the group of countries with a predominance of optimistic sentiments. Accordingly, the transition from one index to another can lead to a qualitative shift in the assessment of the society being studied.

Fourthly, the assessment of the generalized index of social optimism D allows us to diagnose the Common Economic Space as heterogeneous. This thesis should be explained in more detail.

The hierarchy according to the level of social optimism is as follows: Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia. Thus, among Russians, concern for the future is most clearly visible.

The revealed gap in the level of social optimism is quite significant. Thus, the difference between the corresponding indices for Kazakhstan and Russia is almost 20 percentage points. Such an advantage of one country over another should be classified as fundamental.

The entire SES country is divided into two groups: countries with the dominance of social optimism (Kazakhstan and Ukraine) and countries with the dominance of social pessimism (Belarus and Russia). Based on this feature alone, the SES should be recognized as socially heterogeneous.

The study showed that existing methods for diagnosing the social well-being of the population need significant improvement. One of the ways of such improvement could be the introduction into analytical practice of such additional measures as: unadjusted index of social well-being J; adjusted social well-being index I; uncertainty index R; generalized index of social well-being D. Testing of these tools using the example of social optimism indices shows that with their help it is possible to carry out a more subtle typology of the societies being studied and more sensitively capture shifts in people’s moods.

Literature

“Confusion of positions undermines the reputation of sociology.” Conversation with I.V. Zadorin // “Monitoring of Public Opinion”, No. 2, 2004.
Petukhov V.V. Russia, Belarus, Ukraine: what brings us together and what separates us? // “Monitoring of Public Opinion”, No. 2, 2004.
Balatsky E.V. Social heterogeneity of a single economic space // “Monitoring of Public Opinion”, No. 2, 2005.
As we thought in 2004: Russia is at a crossroads. M.: Eksmo Publishing House, Algorithm Publishing House. 2005.

What is social well-being and where in Russia is it better? Social well-being: concept, main indicators and approach to study Recommended list of dissertations.

annotation scientific article on sociological sciences, author of the scientific work - Vadim Sergeevich Kaminsky

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