Social-economic well-being and social tension in the Volga Region

Abstract

The article presents the results of the regional sociological study of the parameters of the social-economic well-being in the Volga Region. The well-being category consists of social satisfaction, trust, tension and security. Social well-being reflects the efficiency of the social system, its quality, the authorities’ competence in the development of social-economic processes and of a socially sensitive (accessible, comfortable) social environment. The study identified connections between social-economic well-being and employment, financial situation and the dynamics of migration; and empirically proved the low likelihood of ethnic or religious conflicts in the region, the high level of social well-being as mentioned by the younger generations and the average one among other age groups. The level of ethnic and confessional tension is influenced by the age of the respondents: a third of the younger generations and of the working age are more concerned with the criminal situation and with conflicts on national and religious grounds than pensioners. The able-bodied population of the Volga Region is concerned about their professional well-being due to perceiving migrants as competitors: in some cases, an increase in the share of migrants contributes to conflicts in the interethnic interaction. With an increase in the educational level the degree of social trust increases, which is a positive factor for the tolerant attitude towards others. In general, there are no reasons for concerns about ethnic conflicts in the region. The multi-ethnicity of the Russian society explains the relatively high tolerance to migrants despite many risk factors.