Latova N. V. Russian satisfaction with life during the crisis: 2015 as a year of bifurcation

Abstract

Based on the annual surveys (all-Russian sample involving at least 1600 persons, per each survey) and the data of the Institute of Sociology monitoring (surveys are based on all-Russian sample involving 4000 persons and have been conducted twice per year since 2014), the paper pro-vides an analysis of the impact of the crisis on Russian satisfaction with life and overall social and psychological well-being. The author concludes that one of the most important factors in the Russians’ assess-ments of their daily living is social ties. Leisure opportunities play smaller role: during a Based on the annual surveys (all-Russian sample involving at least 1600 persons, per each survey) and the data of the Institute of Sociology monitoring (surveys are based on all-Russian sample involving 4000persons and have been conducted twice per year since 2014), the paper provides an analysis of the impact of the crisis on Russian satisfaction with life and overall social and psychological well-being. The author concludes that one of the most important factors in the Russians’ assessments of their daily living is social ties. Leisure opportunities play smaller role: during a crisis situation they are the first to be abandoned. On the whole, no any substantial changes in social and psychological state of Russians were witnessed in 2015, but the country is still in the state of incertitude, and secondary data show that the current stability is fragile. Studying the social and psychological situation in different geo-graphical areas proves that social tensions may arise in the opposite types of settlements — capitals and rural areas most affected by the crisis. The country was ready to face the crisis in the second half of 2014; the “safety butter” could have been enough till the end of the year. But for the majority of Russians, especially for those who lived in rural area, this stock began to fade. As to dynamics of the situation, it is the relatively prosperous residents of the metropolitan area whose satisfaction with financial well-being showed a considerable slump.

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