Socio-Demographic Construct of Social Loneliness in Modern Russia

Abstract

The article examines the theory and methodology behind social loneliness in the family context, as well as empirically assessing the socio-demographic manifestation of this phenomenon in modern Russia. Several factors exacerbating and minimizing social loneliness are presented. A strong emphasis is placed on the importance of families in alleviating social loneliness and on family construct preservation. Using the cluster method, the authors analyze criteria-defined groups from the general sample of an empirical study that was held by the Family and Demography Center of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (TAS) in 2022. As a result, a conclusion is drawn about factors that the respondents consider to be the most significant in minimizing social loneliness. In this connection, the authors find it important to define the family as a synergistic mechanism for reducing such social risks and assess the risks of transforming the traditional family construct. In addition, the study uses the female subsample to examine the role of gender in the severity of social loneliness. Determining the role of women in the creation of family relations and the transfer of social value-based attitudes, the authors assess the family construct stability and the likely features of its transformation to develop a preventive socio-demographic policy for reducing social deviation and maintaining stable social value-based relationships.