Population

Demographic situation in small urban districts of Russia

2025-10-02T15:25:42+03:00

The article presents the results of research to assess the demographic situation in small towns in Russia in comparison with the average Russian trends. The first part of the article reveals the relevance of the issue, which is mainly due to the possible impact of population outflow from small towns on the growth of asymmetry in the socio-economic development of Russian territories. The second part outlines the main results of the study and presents their detailed analysis. The authors, in particular, present the results of research confirming the presence of peculiarities in the demography of small towns in comparison with the general Russian trends. These features are mainly associated with a more pronounced migration of the population. The article provides evidence of the impact of socio-economic development indicators on the activity and nature of migration processes. Based on the grouping of small towns, the authors identified eight types of demographic situation, where the most common type is population decline against the background of high values of migration outflow, average or above average values of fertility compared to the national average. The forecast of the population in small towns with the largest migration outflow showed that in some cases, some small towns may receive the status of a «dead town» by 2050. In the third part of the article the authors made the main conclusions on the results of the study. For example, in order to reduce the migration outflow, the authors propose measures of state regulation, including development of anti-crisis programs and strategies of socio-economic development, programs of preferential housing loans and health care development.

On the issue of assessing the differences in the human potential of men and women in the regions of Russia

2025-10-02T15:26:19+03:00

Both for theory and for social practice, a resource-based approach to the analysis of gender relations is becoming increasingly important, allowing for balancing of the interests and needs of women and men. The purpose of this work is to examine the state of human potential in the Russian Federation from a gender perspective, using the example of the country’s regions. The object of the study is population of the Russian Federation’s regions. The subject is human potential (HP) of men and women in Russia. The author’s hypothesis is that analysis of the socio-economic situation in the Russian Federation cannot be complete without taking into account a gender-based approach. The author’s methodology for studying the potential of men and women in the regions of the Russian Federation allows us to identify the specific features of human potential in a gender-based analysis. The author proposes an index for analyzing the differences in human potential between men and women in the regions of the country, which includes such indicators as life expectancy, the proportion of individuals with higher education, and the proportion of individuals who are married. The conducted analysis revealed the maximum and minimum values for three components. Thus, the maximum life expectancy for both sexes was 83 years, while the minimum was 60 years; the maximum percentage of married individuals was 59%, while the minimum was 32%; and the maximum percentage of individuals with a completed higher education was 31.7%, while the minimum was 12.4%. The analysis also identified regional clusters based on the ratio of male and female cohorts in the Russian Federation, taking into account their balance. This analysis clearly shows the significance the ethno-national factor, which requires close attention, given its importance for such a multi-ethnic country as Russia.

Comprehensive assessment of the development of demographic situation: municipal aspect of Samara oblast

2025-10-02T15:26:55+03:00

The article proposes an integral indicator of assessing the development of demographic situation at the municipal level, which includes initial indicators reflecting such demographic problems as depopulation, demographic aging, significant level of demographic burden on the population employed in the economy, and low migration growth. In this case, positive or negative impact of each initial indicator on the complex indicator is identified. This methodology has been tested on the municipalities of Samara oblast with construction of rating and typology of the municipalities by 5 groups (municipalities with a positive demographic situation, with a relatively stable demographic situation, with an unfavorable demographic situation, with a critical demographic situation and with a supercritical demographic situation). The leader of the rating with a positive demographic situation is Volzhsky municipal district, which has a natural and migration population growth, a low level of population aging and a small demographic burden. The experience of implementing a comprehensive demographic policy in the above-mentioned municipality is considered, which involves implementation of 40 projects within the framework of the strategic direction «Saving the people and accumulating human capital» of the strategy for the socio-economic development of the municipal district. It is noted that this experience could be useful for the authorities of municipalities of Samara oblast and other regions of Russia and be implemented in their practical activities. The proposed integral indicator of assessing the development of demographic situation, compilation of rating and typology of municipalities based on it, may be used by municipal and regional authorities to conduct a dynamic and comparative analysis of demographic trends.

«Solo mother»: a modern type of single motherhood or a new form of family-parent relations?

2025-10-02T15:25:07+03:00

The article considers the socio-demographic problems faced by women who voluntarily give up marriage in favor of independent motherhood. Analysis of the historical, statistical and publicistic information shows the processes of formation and development of the phenomenon of «single motherhood by choice», which is fundamentally different from «forced» single motherhood. Among the voluntary «solo mothers», there are «social» ones, whose children have a real father, and «biological» ones, whose motherhood is possible only with the help of reproductive donation. According to public Russian and foreign Internet sites, the self-assessment of both categories of solo mothers is summarized, which makes it possible to identify their main characteristics, causes and prospects. The growing number of women who consciously make a choice in favor of having or raising a child outside official or unofficial marriage, their self-organization and qualitative differentiation within the group suggest that this family option reflects current and future socio-economic changes taking place in post-industrial society, and indicates a further separation of marital and parental functions of the family. The social permissibility of such family relationships is determined by low birth rate, when the fact of the birth of a child is more important than its status in the parental family, and the choice in favor of voluntary maternal monoparenty is determined by the possibilities of modern professional female employment and the established system of state social protection. The continued willingness of solo mothers to form new family relationships and the desire to create a circle of kinship contacts for their children, similar or equal to marital family, testifies both to the dominance of traditional matrimonial choice and to the permissibility of voluntary maternal monoparenty as one of the forms of modern family.

Alimony relations and single-parent families in Russia: institutional changes

2025-10-02T15:27:37+03:00

The subject of the article is alimony relations and institutional changes in the sphere of their regulation. The purpose of the article is to analyze the financial situation of single-parent families, the role of alimony in their income structure, and changes in institutional approaches to issues in the field of alimony relations. As information sources of the article, the authors used statistical data, analytical materials from federal agencies, state reports on the situation of children and families with children, regulatory legal acts and texts of draft laws. The authors also used data from the HSE Russian Monitoring of the Economic Situation and Public Health (RMEH HSE) 2004–2022. Despite the increase in the efficiency of alimony debt collection, the situation has not improved significantly, as evidenced by data on the number of enforcement proceedings for recovery of alimony that were not completed at the end of the reporting period. In most regions of the Russian Federation, regional allowances for children whose parents evade alimony are ineffective due to their small size, which is not comparable to the size of the established subsistence minimum. In recent years, a number of changes have been made to family legislation and the law on enforcement proceedings in the parts related to alimony. There is an active legislative work of various subjects — the deputy corps, political parties, federal executive authorities, regional legislatures, and the public. The initiatives of the recent years are characterized by two approaches — increased coercion, tougher measures, and increased financial involvement of the state in supporting families who do not receive alimony. The initiative on the part of the public is aimed at certain liberalization. Updating the state’s alimony policy in terms of harmonizing relations in this area should become a part of modern family and demographic policy in Russia.

External labor migration in modern Russian society: dynamics and consequences

2025-10-02T15:28:20+03:00

The article is devoted to study of the topical issues of international labor migration at the current stage of development of the Russian economy with a special focus on examining the relationship between the labor market, labor shortages and migration processes. The paper characterizes the new realities of the presence of foreign workers in the national labor market in conjunction with an analysis of the ongoing changes in the volume of labor supply and the labor needs of economic sectors. Based on official international and Russian statistics and conducted sociological research, the current trends, long-term tendencies and features of labor immigration, which in recent years have significantly changed the foreign labor market in Russia, are examined. The contradictory consequences of the increased use of foreign labor on the country’s socio-economic development are discussed. It is shown that in modern conditions labor immigration is an important factor in filling niches in the labor market and compensating for labor shortages, but the contribution of migrant workers to technological development and long-term economic growth remains limited. Particular attention is paid to the problems of regulating labor immigration. It is concluded that Russian migration legislation on attracting low-skilled workers, qualified and highly qualified specialists requires adjustment and modernization. It is necessary to eliminate shortcomings in the legal regulation of the entry of foreign citizens into regional labor markets and to move to a new model of managing cross-border labor mobility that ensures optimization of the structure and selection of migration flows from abroad. The main provisions of the study can be used in practical work to improve the mechanisms for regulating the attraction and use of foreign labor and in the development of state immigration policy measures.

Regional differentiation in the sex and age structure of commuters and FIFO workers in Russia

2025-10-02T15:29:10+03:00

The article examines the age and sex characteristics of commuters and FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) workers in Russia based on data from the All-Russian Population Census of 2020. The results show that men are more involved in commuting and FIFO, accounting for 61.7% of all commuters and FIFO-workers. The highest proportion of male is registered in regions with developed extractive and manufacturing industries. Differences in the distribution of male and female migrants by age groups are relatively small, with both sexes primarily participating in commuting and FIFO in the working-age groups from 30 to 39 years. This indicates that both commuting and FIFO attract workers who have already received professional education and possess the necessary work experience. Analysis of international studies shows that younger workers are more willing to ravel significant distances for career opportunities, which is most typical for the early stages of their professional development. As age increases, along with marriage and family expansion, there is a tendency to shorten travel distances; older workers prefer to move shorter distances, although trip distances may temporarily increase just before retirement. The research results can be useful for understanding the dynamics of spatial movements of the labor force in the context of demographic and economic changes in Russia, and also allow us to identify areas for further analysis and formation of a differentiated regional policy in the field of labor and employment. The data obtained serve as an important stage in the systematization of empirical data on return labor migration and analytical base for further studies.

Measures of demographic policy in the USSR during the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945)

2025-10-02T15:29:54+03:00

The article analyzes the demographic policy measures of the Soviet state during the Great Patriotic War. Presence of the negative trends in the demographic behavior of the population in 1939– 1940 is indicated, and their causes are analyzed. The demographic policy measures had a controversial character (ban on abortions, expansion of the network of medical institutions, improvement of the system of medical and social assistance (payment of benefits), expanding the network of preschool institutions, etc). There are identified the main trends in the population reproduction in the USSR and the RSFSR in 1941–1945 (significant decrease in birth rates (crude birth rate, total fertility rate)), changes in mortality parameters, especially child and infant mortality, and decrease in the number of marriages). Taking into account the above trends, two stages of the implementation of the demographic policy measures during the Great Patriotic War are identified: 1941-summer 1944 and summer 1944–1945, differing in objectives, recipients of assistance, and measures themselves. At the first stage, the decisions were aimed at reducing the negative consequences of the war, their impact on health, reproductive functions, as well as social and legal institutions. At the second stage, a set of material and non-material measures aimed at supporting lives of women and children, and supporting the family as a whole, was developed and implemented. The main problems and possibilities for implementing these measures are considered. Implementation of the demographic policy measures was based on two main principles: combination of state, public and private forms of assistance; close interweaving of demographic and social policies.

Demographic situation in Samara province during the famine of 1921–1923

2025-10-02T15:30:35+03:00

The famine of 1921–1923 covered a huge territory of the country. In the epicenter of famine was Samara province. The hunger had a destructive effect on all aspects of human life, including demographic behavior. The article examines various aspects of the demographic situation that developed in the province: vital statistics, nuptiality and divorce. The complexity of the analysis of demographic processes is due to scarcity of sources. The hunger paralyzed the activities of government bodies, especially in provinces, that led to cessation of the current population accounting. This situation was most acute in rural areas of the province. Most of the information about the demographic situation in the famine-stricken counties is often incomplete or contains large errors in calculating the current population. The article is written on the basis of the documentary material stored in the state archives of Samara oblast. In addition, the article uses the materials of the Swedish Red Cross mission, which operated on the territory of Samara province. Mission staff conducted demographic accounting of the population on the territory of the volosts (rural districts), where the mission opened feeding points, since for the proper organization of nutrition it was necessary to really know the population size and its movement. These materials are extremely important, since there was practically no current accounting of the rural population. Even noting the incompleteness of these materials, their analysis allows us to present the dynamics of the demographic processes taking place in the rural areas of the province. Currently, these materials are stored in the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet) in Stockholm. Statistical bulletins of the Swedish Red Cross mission are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.

Features of the demographic development of Russia in the post-Soviet period

2025-10-02T15:31:20+03:00

The relevance of the article is determined by the ambiguity of the demographic situation that has developed in Russia in the post-Soviet period. Combination of factors influencing the demographic development is manifested in unfavorable dynamics of birth and death rates, as well as in depopulation of the population, which negatively affects life expectancy of citizens of the country. However, in some of the CIS countries, on the contrary, diametrically opposite trends are observed, and the demographic situation is considered as very positive. The purpose of the study is to identify the causes that determined the demographic development of Russia in the post-Soviet period and the present situation in the field of demography, and to determine possible tools that contribute to its stabilization in Russia and favorable development in the entire post-Soviet space. The research is based on the study of scientific works of Russian and foreign authors, official statistical and information sources. There are revealed the prerequisites for the depopulation observed in Russia and differences in its causes in different historical periods. The reasons for the decline in birth rate and the increase in mortality, their impact on life expectancy at birth are established. A comparison of a number of demographic indicators for Russia and CIS countries is made. Conclusions are made on the need for an in-depth study of the differentiation of life expectancy at birth and other demographic indicators in the territorial context: by subjects and federal districts (macroregions) of the Russian Federation, and their comparison with similar data for other CIS countries. The conclusions are based on the results obtained in the course of the study, measures taken by government bodies to reduce mortality and stimulate birth rate, and can be helpful to all interested users, including future researchers of demographic issues. The formulated generalizations and recommendations are aimed at improving the situation in the field of demography and preserving family values, accumulating demographic potential and stabilizing the situation of families in order to improve the process of population reproduction.

The population opinion about employment opportunities and risks

2025-10-02T15:34:45+03:00

In recent years the government fixes positive changes in the labor market: unemployment decreases, employment and wages increase. However, population surveys fix employment problems which have a negative effect on the formation of the labor force and reproduction of human capital. The purpose of this work is to analyze the population opinion about opportunities and risks of the labor market, to find out what Russians think about the new economic conditions and whether they are ready to adapt to them. There were studied the population perceptions of the opportunities to improve the family’s financial situation and the directions of actions. There were analyzed the relationships between the actions to improve the financial situation and the severity of employment problems. The information bases on the HSE sociological survey «Readiness for Change» 2022–2024. It is shown that there are both positive and negative facts. On the one hand, there is a significant increase in the number of respondents who have additional income, and on the other hand, some respondents have lost their jobs or lost their earnings. A major problem is increase in the volume of work without increase in wages. The population is ready to adapt to the changes in the labor market. Respondent’s activity depends on the concentration of negative events in the employment. The objective limitations of some adaptation practices are shown.

Labor potential of population in the regions of Russia: Comparative analysis in static and dynamic contexts

2025-10-02T15:35:18+03:00

In interregional studies of human and labor potential, both static and dynamic analyses are widely used. This article applies these methods to identify problematic and developing subjects of the Russian Federation (RF). The static analysis was carried out on the basis of grouping regions using the cluster analysis method based on human potential indicators, which included indicators of labor potential. Using statistics from Rosstat for the year 2021, the study focused specifically on labor potential indicators, selecting the percentage of highly qualified workers relative to the employed population as a key metric. A comparative analysis was performed across a spectrum of regions, comprising ten regions with the highest and lowest values of labor potential. The first group included capital-and resource-rich Northern regions, while the second group consisted of problematic regions. In the European part of the country, these were primarily medium-developed subjects of the RF, characterized by less advanced industrial production. In the Asian regions, the level of industrial development is lower, and reliance on budgetary funding is higher. Dynamic changes were tracked based on the growth rates of labor potential indicators, which generally increased across the country from 2014 to 2024, particularly in the past five years. Comparative analysis was conducted for ten regions with the highest and lowest growth rates from 2019 to 2024. Examination of the dynamics was complicated by the contradictory influence of exogenous factors, such as the coronavirus pandemic and the special military operation. Nonetheless, it was found that the first group of regions contained more areas with a low base for calculating growth rates. In almost half of the RF subjects in the second group, there was observes a negative dynamics in key development indicators (employment in manufacturing, levels of budgetary funding, etc.).

Social well-being of the population: territorial differences

2025-10-02T15:35:43+03:00

Achieving the social well-being of the population is one of the key national development goals of the Russian Federation until 2036. It is considered the basis for a long-term effective spatial development of the country. The article presents the authors’ vision of the category «social well-being of the population», the specifics of its analysis and interpretation, factors, as well as objective and subjective indicators characterizing its essence. In view of the wide, and often controversial, range of aspects studied by scientists in the framework of the analysis of «social well-being», the authors focused their attention on individual components associated with the population’s satisfaction with separate social benefits. The article shows the dynamics of the «National Anxiety Index» (2021–2024) with ranking of regions (top 7) by three groups (anxious, balanced and unperturbed), considered as one of the indicators of social well-being of Russian residents. A comparison of assessments (degree of satisfaction) by Russian households of the condition of the territories adjacent to the house was carried out — the equipment of apartment buildings with playgrounds, as well as sports grounds (for children and adults) based on measurements in 2018, 2020 and 2022. The assessment of the Russian population of healthcare services — the quality of primary pre-medical and medical care (by type of settlements) is demonstrated. The degree of satisfaction of residents of federal districts (macro-regions) with social infrastructure (work of polyclinics to which they are attached) was revealed. The characteristics of socio-ecological well-being in federal districts of Russia were analyzed. The author’s matrix of rating federal districts according to the considered individual indicators of social well-being («infrastructure» and «socio-ecological well-being») was developed. The degree of satisfaction of residents of federal districts (macro-regions) with the work of polyclinics to which they are attached has been revealed. The characteristics of socio-ecological well-being in the federal districts of Russia are analyzed. The author’s rating matrix of federal districts has been developed according to separate considered indicators of social well-being («infrastructural» and «socio-ecological well-being»).

Young people’s attitude to the adjustment in retirement age in Russia

2025-10-02T15:36:17+03:00

Changes in pension legislation and increasing retirement age are a global trend in modern society, caused by the steady raising in the proportion of older people. This trend leads to a decrease in the number of workers and, accordingly, to problems in labor market. Many Western countries have already implemented pension reforms aimed at increasing the retirement age, reducing pension contributions or changing the structure of pension savings. Russian Federation pension reform is related not only to the present demographic situation in the country, but also to the problem of ensuring the independence of the RF Pension Fund budget from the Federal budget transfers. However, studies show that a significant number of the surveyed Russian population is not positive about the raising the minimum retirement age. This is due to low life expectancy and quality of life, insufficient jobs, deteriorating health, and difficulty of finding jobs for young people entering the labor market for the first time. Therefore, taking into account the importance of young people for the labor market, it is necessary to investigate the factors of youth attitudes to the pension reform. To do this, the study examined issues related to demographic information, economic factors and determining respondents’ perception of the pension reform. The attitude of young people towards the raising the retirement age is not entirely positive, as the study has showed. There are identified the factors that impact this attitude, and among them significant factors — financial situation and income levels of the surveyed.

Impact of the digitalization indicators on the quality of life of population: regional aspect

2025-10-02T15:36:49+03:00

This article examines the impact of digitalization on the quality of life of population, with an emphasis on regional aspects in Russia. It provides an analysis of the relationship between digitalization indicators, such as Internet access, use of digital technologies in organizations, and aggregated indicators of the quality of life, including income level, employment, housing conditions and other socio-economic parameters. The priority of digitalization programs is to improve public administration, its efficiency and transparency through analysis of the accumulated data. In addition, the use of standard solutions at the federal level will help to reduce the costs of digitalization and improve the quality of its process. The results of the analysis, especially with regard to mobile broadband Internet, demonstrate a significant positive relationship between the development of digital infrastructure and the quality of life, digitalization helps to reduce territorial inequality, improving access to education, healthcare and employment opportunities in remote regions. Mobile broadband Internet access allows us to use electronic government services, educational resources, to work remotely, it is an element of the digital economy and acts as a catalyst for socio-economic development. The need to improve the statistical base and develop new metrics for assessing digitalization is emphasized. Digitalization is a key factor in socio-economic development, having a significant impact on the well-being, standard and quality of life of the population, but its successful implementation requires solving systemic problems, including integration of alternative data sources and development of digital competencies. The results of the study create a basis for revising regional development strategies, taking into account the differentiated impact of digital technologies on various aspects of the well-being of the population.

Tutoring as a type of informal employment on digital platforms

2025-10-02T15:37:22+03:00

The article considers tutoring as a type of informal employment, a significant part of which has moved into the digital space and is gaining momentum. The aim of the study is to analyze tutoring in terms of its main forms and assess its prevalence in different regions. The research was based on a sample of tutor profiles from the digital platform Profi.ru, which were obtained by parsing. The study examines the market for tutoring services, focusing on the most popular subjects such as mathematics, English, Russian, and literature. Attention is paid to estimating the number of tutors and their relationship with the socio-economic development of regions, as well as identifying common and specific features of this phenomenon. The study found: 1) a significant scale of the tutoring market; 2) comparability of the socio-demographic profile of tutors with other studies conducted using different sociological methods; 3) relationship between the level of socio-economic development and the prevalence of tutoring in different regions; and 4) an uneven representation of tutors across Russia’s regions. Common patterns were identified among the studied regions: 1) tutors are concentrated in Russia’s capital cities and nearby areas; 2) there is stability in the composition of leading regions in terms of number of tutors for all subjects (6 out of 14 regions account for approximately 70% of all tutors); and 3) respondents are approximately evenly distributed across the three subjects analyzed in all selected regions.; 4) a smaller representation of teachers in Russian language and literature as compared to their colleagues in mathematics and English.

Prospects for involving Muscovites in the sharing economy

2025-10-02T15:37:48+03:00

Like residents of other metropolitan cities, Muscovites face a number of problems: congested roads, paid parking, expensive housing. In the modern world, the sharing economy comes to the rescue in these matters. Moscow has objective factors for its development, but are Muscovites ready to give up their own apartment and car in favor of rented housing and transport, as well as to save and increase savings needed to solve, among other things, these problems, with the help of crowd finance? Based on the conceptual model of sociological analysis of the prospects for development of the sharing economy, an empirical study was conducted, including a questionnaire survey and a series of expert interviews. Muscovites’ readiness for interactions in the sharing economy format was tested in three areas: housing, transport and finance (respectively, the attitude towards long-term rent and co-living, car sharing and the «car by subscription» service, as well as crowdlending was studied), for which three thematic questionnaires were developed and three separate audiences were surveyed (N=300 in each). It was found that, despite the presence of needs among Muscovites that, in principle, can be satisfied within the sharing economy, as well as the objective conditions available for this in the capital, the growth of the sharing economy sectors is uneven, and in some segments it is practically not observed, while the key constraints are socio-cultural factors (stereotypes, level of trust, ability to cooperate, etc.).

The importance of work experience for the qualification of medical specialists

2025-10-02T15:38:13+03:00

The significance of analyzing work experience in the context of the professional development of medical specialists is determined by the fact that the accumulation of experience is a relatively long process that is less amenable to dynamization than the acquisition of knowledge. Nevertheless, it significantly impacts the enhancement of qualifications, creating, among other things, two vulnerable groups: inexperienced and highly experienced personnel, predominantly comprising younger and older employees. The influence of work experience on the qualification characteristics and the need for additional professional training among medical specialists with varying lengths of service has been investigated using a sample of doctors. The empirical basis for this study was a survey conducted in 2023 among medical professionals working in healthcare organizations in Moscow. The survey showed that inexperienced doctors are those with less than five years of experience in their specialty (mainly less than one year), while highly experienced doctors are those with at least 15 years of experience (primarily over 25 years). It was found that only inexperienced doctors are vulnerable in terms of qualifications. The vulnerability of highly experienced doctors relates not so much to their qualification potential as to its realization, which is complicated by age-related factors. These characteristics are crucial to consider in additional professional training, as well as in the organization of work and working conditions. Considering the age-specific needs of doctors with extensive work experience contributes to the productive work of this qualified and experienced group, as well as to the transfer of their accumulated knowledge and skills to less experienced colleagues through various forms including mentorship.

The role of the capital’s medical workers in shaping patients’ self-preservation behavior

2025-10-02T15:39:02+03:00

The article examines the role of the Russian healthcare system in the formation of self-preserving behavior among the population, primarily adherence to a healthy lifestyle; highlights the ways in which this can be done; identifies factors that increase or decrease the effectiveness of this activity. The main methods of forming self-preserving behavior among the population, implemented by medical organizations subordinate to the Moscow Department of Health (MDH), have been identified, as well as the most effective types of information and educational activities used to promote a healthy lifestyle. and the degree of awareness of doctors and nursing staff about measures aimed at preserving the health of Muscovites (taking into account the gender and age differences of medical professionals and their work experience, and also the type of medical organization). Due to the fact that the personal example of a medical specialist plays a significant role in shaping the foundations of self-preservation behavior among the population, we have studied: a) prevalence of healthy lifestyle among medical workers (depending on age and financial status) of metropolitan medical organizations (MO); b) objective and subjective reasons by which medical workers explain their unwillingness to fully implement healthy habits. It has been shown that the financial situation of medical workers has a significant impact on the formation of healthy habits: as income levels increase, the proportion of people leading a healthy lifestyle also increases. Based on the results of the author’s sociological studies in 2023 and 2024, one of the important factors is identified — professional burnout and its causes — which prevents medical professionals from acting as guides of healthy habits for the population, as well as preventing healthcare professionals themselves from adhering to health-saving tactics.

Individual perceptions of healthcare inequalities among older people

2025-10-02T15:39:30+03:00

The article discusses strategies for perception of inequalities in the healthcare among older residents of large cities and rural areas. The study is based on a multi-level approach to investigation of inequalities, with an emphasis on analyzing the features of everyday perception of inequalities in medical care among urban and rural older people. The research methodology includes conducting semi-structured interviews with older people living in St. Petersburg and rural areas of the Republic of Karelia. Based on the thematic analysis, individual strategies for dealing with the existing inequalities were identified, as well as differences in the ways they are accepted and not accepted within each strategy. The results of the study demonstrate that the greatest differences between urban and rural older people are related to the availability and quality of medical care. It is these aspects that form the main inequalities and cause differences in the lives of older people in urban and rural environments. The highlighted strategies show that rural residents are most characterized by acceptance or a neutral attitude towards the emerging inequalities. At the same time, urban residents are more likely to express disagreement with the quality of medical care, and also seek alternative ways to solve the emerging problems, including those related to their legal regulation. The conducted research shows that when developing measures to improve the healthcare system and minimize medical inequalities, it is important to take into account the individual characteristics and personal attitude of older citizens to the medical care. Of particular importance is the need to develop various criteria for assessing and eliminating inequalities applicable in both urban and rural areas.

VII International scientific and practical conference «Social dynamics of population and human potential»

2025-10-02T15:39:58+03:00