Социологическая наука и социальная практика (Oct 2018)
Dynamics of Socio-Economic Position of Russian Mass Strata: 2003–2018
Abstract
The article shows that the drop in nominal incomes of the population in the last two years has come to a stop, although their real growth is seen only in a relatively narrow segment of the population, mainly representatives of households without dependents. This situation is reflected in the public consciousness. Self-assessments of their material situation by Russians, having improved markedly after the end of the economic crisis, remain unchanged in the last two years, and the number of those who consider their material situation to be poor or deteriorating is still significantly greater than the number of those who consider it good or improving. At the same time, although the standard of living of the majority of Russians decreased compared to the pre-crisis period, this decrease has not been catastrophic, which largely mitigates negative perception of their situation by the population. The article also demonstrates that the living standards of Russians in the so-called "Putin era" have changed qualitatively: real incomes have increased dramatically, the ownership of durable goods in households has largely expanded (including the appearance of cars and different gadgets), and the material environment, with which Russians constantly deal with in their daily lives, has become much more diverse and complex. These changes were accompanied by improvements in the living conditions of Russians and, at the same time, the transformation of credit load into a norm of living. At the same time, process of "un-peasantness" of the Russian village has taken place, which had not only positive effect (in particular, reduced workload in the subsidiary farms), but also negative (for example, a decrease in the "safety margin" for rural residents) consequences. These changes are so large that they will lead to an essential transformation of the entire Russian society.
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