IMPACT OF LIVING STANDARDS ON ATTITUDE TO SOCIAL REALITY IN REGIONAL SOCIETY

Abstract

Social reality is a complex and polysemic phenomenon of public life. It consists of systems of various objects interacting with humans as well as numerous processes occurring in the environment. It serves both as the space in which individuals operate and the result of their social activities. The perception of the population of social reality is determined by many factors (cultural, psychological, socio-economic, political, etc.), but is primarily dependent on the living standard. The paper presents the results of the research of living standard impact on the key components of social reality. The study specifies the interrelation between the main components of living standard— income and consumption dynamics— and attitude to the political and economic situation in the country, the approval of the activities of the President of the Russian Federation, social well-being of the population. The findings are based on data from long-term monitoring of the economic situation and social well-being of the population, conducted by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of RAS in the Vologda region. The analysis shows that growing level of income and stable consumption lead to positive economic and political assessment of the situation, higher approval of the activities of the President of the Russian Federation, raise in the social mood. In this case the individual components of the living standard differ in their influence on public opinion— attitude to the aspects of the social reality is more sensitive to changes in the volume of consumption.