Subjective Measurement of Population Ill-Being/Well-Being in the Russian Regions Based on Social Media Data

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.1.05

Keywords:

quality of life, online activity, social networks, well-being index, subjective well-being

Abstract

The article substantiates a new method of subjective assessment of well-being based on the data of user online activity in social media. The method has its advantages (quick research, low costs, large scale, detailed information) as well as certain shortcomings (covering only “digital” population, technical difficulties studying densely populated megacities, etc.). The article presents the results of an empirical study on user activity in VKontakte social network. Subjective well-being index is calculated for 43 Russian regions across 19 indicators embracing economic, political and social aspects of quality of life. Index is based on the analysis on user online activity in 1,350 most popular Vkontakte regional and urban communities. The study was carried out in 2018, throughout the entire year. 

Acknowledgements. The study was supported by the Tomsk State University Competitiveness Enhancement Program (grant no. 8.1.59.2018).

Author Biographies

Eugeniy V. Shchekotin, Tomsk State University; Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management

  • Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
    • Cand. Sci. (Phil.), Associate Professor, Research Fellow, Laboratory of Big Data in Social Sciences
  • Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, Novosibirsk, Russia
    • Associate Professor, Department of Sociology

Mikhail G. Myagkov, Tomsk State University; National Research University Higher School of Economics; University of Oregon

  • Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
    • PhD in Social Sciences, Head of Research at the Laboratory of Big Data in Social Sciences
    • Head of Research Laboratory of Experimental Methods in Cognitive and Social Sciences
  • National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
    • Leading Researcher at the Institute of Education
  • University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
    • Professor at the Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences
    • Professor at the Department of Political Science

Vyacheslav L. Goiko, Tomsk State University

  • Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
    • Head of the Laboratory of Big Data in Social Sciences

Vitaliy V. Kashpur, Tomsk State University

  • Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
    • Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Associate Professor, Head of Department of Sociology
    • Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Big Data in Social Sciences

Galina Yu. Kovarzh, Tomsk State University

  • Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
    • Analyst at the Laboratory of Big Data in Social Sciences
Счастье и субъективное благополучие в России

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Published

2019-12-03

How to Cite

Shchekotin, E. V., Myagkov, M. G., Goiko, V. L., Kashpur, V. V., & Kovarzh, G. Y. (2019). Subjective Measurement of Population Ill-Being/Well-Being in the Russian Regions Based on Social Media Data. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes, (1). https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2020.1.05

Issue

No. 1 (2020): Happiness and Subjective Well-Being in Russia

Section

METHODS AND METHODOLOGY