Social Anxiety and Social Apprehensions in Russia’s Population

Abstract

The article analyzes, on the basis of material from a nationwide survey of the activities of internal-affairs bodies in 85 constituent regions of the Russian Federation (RF), trends in the social anxiety of the population of the Russian Federation. It explores the principal events causing these phenomena. It identifies differences in the assessment of the events and phenomena that engender the greatest concern among Russians at the federal and regional levels. Respondents are most disturbed by the rise in rates for housing and utilities, by poverty, by low wages and pensions, and by the quality of health care. According to the results of the study, the greatest social apprehensions of Russians are tied to fears for the welfare of their families, fears for their children’s future, and fears of diseases. At the same time, the level of people’s concern over these problems has diminished. Given the crisis-related phenomena in the Russian economy, the level of concern over the possible loss of one’s job has risen. A situation in which respondents, to varying degrees, feel fear in regard to twenty-five positions, while the level of fears for some of them reaches 70 percent or more, prompts one to think about the health of the whole society.