The volume of goods and services consumed by rural population as a metric of quality of life and standard of living

Abstract

Subject. The article discusses the consumption of goods and services in rural areas of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. Objectives. We analyze the way the rural population consumes goods and services, evaluate the extent of their municipal differentiation by the standard of living and quality of life. Methods. We draw upon the normative and comparative methods of data analysis by consumption of goods by the rural population and the availability of infrastructure. Results. Social benefits were found to account for almost 40 percent of income received by the rural population. The population’s income strongly depends on social benefits in the majority of rural areas. The low income per capita determines the low purchasing power of the population. We demonstrate that most rural people consumes products they grow at their private land plots, thus reducing the share of retail turnover. Rural population practically cannot purchase goods for the long-term use. The volume of paid services per capita does keep below RUB 5,000 in the most of the rural areas. Conclusions and Relevance. The study helped evaluate the consumption in the rural areas of the Krasnoyarsk Krai and determine municipal districts where people need aid of the regional and federal authorities most of all. If institutional processes change in the rural areas, the social functions will be performed most effectively.