STANDARDS OF LIVING OF YOUTH IN THE REGION: DYNAMICS OF SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENTS

Abstract

Priority strategic documents approved in the Russian state in the last decade directly relate to improving the living standards of the population. One of the key tasks is to create conditions for the realization of the existing resource potential of the younger generation, which is impossible without increasing incomes and improving their living standards. The purpose of this article is to assess the standard of living of the younger generation in the regional context based on sociological data (subjective assessments). The empirical base of the study was the data of public opinion monitoring conducted in the territory of the Vologda Oblast (N=1500). The theoretical and methodological part of the article presents the main scientific approaches to the categories of «standard of living» and «youth». The main results (empirical part) analyze the subjective assessments of the living standards of the younger generation in dynamics for 2018–2022 in terms of purchasing power indicators, self-assessment of the financial situation, social self-identification and dependence on state support. It was revealed that young people in the region have low consumer opportunities, the majority freely dispose of their income only within the framework of basic needs (purchase of food, clothing, payment for necessary services); the groups of low-income and middle-income young people remain predominant. The conclusion is made about higher subjective assessments of the quality of life of the younger generation, in contrast to the assessments of the older generation.