Subjective Well-Being and Trust in the Context of Psychological Security in Contemporary Russia and Other European Countries

Abstract

The article applies a multidisciplinary approach and investigates the viability of using an integrative characteristic of psychological security to assess macrosocial situation regionally and nationally. The paper is based on the data drawn from European Values Study (EVS). The countries and Russian federal districts were ranged according to the following parameters: subjective well-being, generalized trust, institutional trust, and psychological security. The results suggest that, compared with residents of other EVS member countries, the level of subjective well-being among Russians is extremely low. Only Bulgaria has a lower position. On the other pole of the scale are Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. In terms of generalized trust the list of 30 countries is headed by Denmark, with Albania at the bottom of the list. Unfortunately, Russia cannot be found among the countries with the highest levels of generalized trust. By European standards, Russia has an average level of institutional trust in the list, with Bulgaria at the bottom, and Norway remaining and the top. Of all participant countries, seven have lower levels of psychological security than Russia; Bulgaria and Albania have the lowest standings; the most favorable situation is in Finland and Norway. The study also reveals leaders and outsiders among Russian federal districts and describes strong and weak points of psychological security in Russia.