Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey Research Articles

ADAPTATION PROCESSES IN MODERN RUSSIA

The article is devoted to the analysis of the peculiarities of the experience of loneliness by the elderly in the context of the problems of adaptation to the conditions of modern Russian reality. Considerable attention is paid to understanding the problems of loneliness of older Russians in a situation of increasing social isolation due to response measures to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis is based on data from the from the “Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey – Higher School of Economics” (RLMS-HSE). It reveals that social isolation prevails in older people, characterized by a reduction or termination of individual contacts, while physical or complete isolation is quite rare. A significant but weak inverse correlation was found between the frequency of feelings of loneliness and the intensity of communication in old age. If employment significantly expands the possibilities of communication and at the same time reduces the severity of the experience of loneliness, then being in a family reduces the frequency of feeling loneliness while maintaining the intensity of communication with other people. Coronavirus restrictions, which have increased isolation, have had a negative impact on the social well-being of older citizens. Significantly increased the number of people experiencing depression, anxiety, depression, danger and fear. More difficult than others to adapt to a new situation are people who constantly or often experience loneliness. But although forced isolation and other pandemic restrictions have given rise to many problems that require an adequate solution, they still have not become destructive stress for the vast majority of older people. As the regime of restrictions eased and awareness of what was happening increased, the majority of older Russians were able to adapt to the new conditions to one degree or another.

Short-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and income of the Russian population: which groups were affected the most?

The paper analyzes short-term factors of job loss, wage reduction and factors of household income reduction in Russia in the context of the coronavirus crisis. Panel data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey - Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) served as empirical basis of the study. According to the study results, the highest risks of job loss are registered among females, young employees, unskilled workers, workers without professional education, and workers with low wages. However, almost the only factor of wage reduction (in case of retained employment) is employment in the most affected industries. Household income prior to the pandemic is the key determinant of household income reduction – the higher the level of material wellbeing, the higher the risk of income reduction. Increased probability of income reduction is also reported for families with children. The study has confirmed the hypothesis about negative impact of vulnerable employment on employment and wages of individuals, as well as household income.

Commuting and life satisfaction: evidence from Russia

The aim of this study is to contribute to the research on life satisfaction by investigating the link between commuting time and life satisfaction in Russia. Using data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, we find that commuting is negatively and significantly associated with life satisfaction. Moreover, we document that the effect of commuting is stronger for married couples and respondents living in rural areas. An extended analysis based on interactive regressions shows that the negative incidence of commute time on life satisfaction is potentially fueled by income and marital status and mitigated by age and gender.

Factors of choosing the financial strategies of Russian households

Subject. The article investigates factors of choosing the household’s financial strategies in modern Russian conditions. Objectives. The aim is to study the effect of material and socio-psychological characteristics of Russians on their propensity to form savings and attract loans. Methods. To analyze the factors of financial behavior of Russians, I use databases of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. The propensity to form savings and attract loans is estimated, using probit, ordinal probit, and tobit regression. The Big Five Personality Traits model is applied to consider psychological characteristics of the family head in financial decisions. Results. The estimates confirmed the provisions of the life cycle theory on changing the financial strategy (transition from borrowings when creating the material base of the household at the stage of its formation to savings to finance expenses at retirement age after repayment of home and car loans) as the age of the head of household changes. The precautionary motive effect (formation of financial reserves in anticipation of deteriorating the family's financial situation) was estimated as insignificant. Conclusions. The psychological characteristics of the family head influence the choice of financial strategy of Russians. Emotionally unstable Russians are not inclined to accept a debt burden, and those characterized by high openness to experience are more wasteful and do not tend to save. I revealed a decrease in the role of social networks in financing household cash gaps and an increase in the role of financial intermediaries in the implementation of financial strategies of Russians.

Alcohol Consumption in Russia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The article is devoted to the analysis of the main changes in alcohol consumption during the spread of coronavirus infection in Russia. The work is based on the results of an online survey of the urban working-age population aged 18–60+ (May-August 2020), as well as several waves of previous online studies (2009–2019) conducted by the Department of the Sociology of Deviant Behavior of the Federal Scientific Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The online surveys were accompanied by a secondary analysis of the available statistical and sociological data on the issues under study (Rosstat, Ministry of Health, VCIOM, the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE)), reflecting the indicators of alcohol consumption in various population groups. The paper examines what changes have occurred in patterns of drinking and everyday alcohol practices at the beginning of the pandemic (frequency and nature of alcohol consumption and intoxication, motives for consumption, attitudes towards alcohol) in different age and gender groups. It is shown that, despite the trend of the last ten years to reduce alcohol consumption, by the time of the pandemic, the alcohol situation in Russia remained tense. It was found that, although the pandemic did not lead to a widespread significant increase in alcohol consumption among the urban population, there were risk groups that increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic more than others. A number of social risk factors have been identified that have led to an increase in alcohol consumption in some populations. A number of social risk factors that have been catalysts for an increase in alcohol consumption in some population groups have been identified: 1) stress, 2) changes in social and material status, and 3) a high level of habitual alcohol consumption (the degree of alcoholization of an individual). The empirical data allows to make the following conclusions: although the pandemic has not led to a widespread significant increase in alcohol consumption among the urban population, there were risk groups that increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic more than others. The pandemic has intensified the negative trends of alcoholization of the urban population observed in the pre-pandemic period.

Monitoring of the population health and health risk factors (research methodology)

The article considers the dynamics of health indicators and health risk factors in Russia, including in comparison to the OECD countries. The study is based on the Russian statistical data, OECD data, and Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE). The key public health indicator - the life expectancy (years of life at birth) - shows the negative dynamics in 2020 (71.54), while some other health indicators, on the contrary, show the positive dynamics, such as the self-rated health (the share of population aged 15+ in poor health deceased). 10.8 % of Russian adults consider themselves to be in poor health, which is higher than in the OECD countries. The share of people who assess their health as good and very good has increased over the 25 years of the study: the share of women has doubled (17.5 % in 1994 and 35.1 % in 2020); the share of men has increased by 13.2 % (34.4 % and 47.6 %). The share of people who drink alcohol and of men who smoke has decreased. However, there are negative trends that accompany risk factors: early initiation of smoking (8.5 % started smoking at 13 years and earlier, the majority (78.3 %) started smoking at puberty - at 18 and earlier; half of smokers smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day). The majority (66 %) of the RLMS participants at least occasionally drink alcoholic beverages, including beer (69.6 % of men and 55.3 % of women); never drink alcohol 34 % (30.4 % and 44.7 %). Every tenth respondent (11.9 %) tried an alcohol for the first time at the age of 14 or earlier; 77.9 % - at 18 and earlier. Over 25 years, the share of people with normal weight has decreased: 57.3 % of men and 43.4 % of women in 1994; 43.8 % and 40.5 % - in 2020. The share of overweight people has increased from 40 % of men and 51.9 % of women in 1994 to 53.5 % and 55.7 % in 2020.

Families with high school children: the need for social assistance

Families with children in Russia have a high risk of poverty. Often mothers do not work in these families, and the income of working family members together with social support measures are not sufficient. In recent years, support for families with children has been priority of social policy. At the same time, the State social assistance depends on the age of a child, and as the child is growing older the social assistance is decreasing. Until 2021 the whole variety of monetary payments to children was limited to the age category of 7 years (for all families) and up to 17 years (for single-parent families). These age limits put other children at a disadvantage as compared to children receiving assistance. That's why in March 2022 the Government announced a monthly cash payment for all children living in low-income families aged from 8 to 17 years. The next age limit for children in low-income families getting social support leaves without benefits children aged 17-18 years. Usually they do not have their own income, but they require not less, but more family expenses for their maintenance. The main goal of the study was to show that families with children aged 16-17 bear the same expenses as families with children under 16 years of age, but they have no additional sources of income. The study was based on the data from a population survey (Household Budget Survey-2019) and a longitudinal survey of families with school-age children (Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of HSE2018-2019). The study emphasized the need of social support for families with senior school-age children.

Maternal employment and childhood obesity in Russia

Existing research on childhood obesity shows that rising maternal employment is associated with increases in child weight. This paper aims to estimate the effect of maternal employment on childhood obesity in Russia, where obesity has been spreading quickly over the last 20 years. To address the endogeneity of maternal employment and estimate its effect on the weight outcomes of older siblings, I use plausibly exogenous variation in childcare enrolment for the youngest child in the household as an instrumental variable for maternal employment. Based on the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE), the results show that maternal employment leads to an increase in children’s BMI and in their probabilities of becoming overweight and obese. In exploring the potential underlying mechanisms, I find that maternal employment is related to less physical activity, to a higher probability of either watching TV or playing video games, and to poorer dietary habits among children.

The human capital and income of immigrants: evidence from Russia

ABSTRACT This study examines how immigration flows caused by the disintegration of states and globalisation change the composition of the labour force and how human capital is transferred from countries of the former Soviet Union to Russia. We estimate the contribution of imperfect human capital transferability to explaining the immigrant–native income differentials by using the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of 2009–2012. The findings reveal that the income of foreign-born people who moved before the disintegration of the USSR is not significantly different from the income of native-born citizens. In contrast, foreign-born groups who immigrated to Russia after the disintegration of the USSR have lower incomes than the native-born group. In addition, the income premium on education and labour experience received in host countries of the foreign-born group is lower compared to the income premium on education and labour experience received in Russia. An important factor explaining the difference in income between natives and foreign-born people who moved to Russia after the collapse of the USSR is the imperfection in the mechanism of human capital transferability.

Perpetuating inequality through participation in adult learning and education in Russia

ABSTRACT We apply cumulative advantage (CA) theory to understand the social hierarchies behind the accumulation of skills and rewards through Adult Learning and Education (ALE) – formal, informal, and non-formal. Using representative data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE), we confirm the assumption of CA theory that advantages are accumulated through ALE, not only within social groups, but also between them. For individuals coming from educationally advantaged families but without higher education, participation in informal non-job-related ALE and formal ALE enhances employment chances. It is therefore a strategy to compensate for the lack of higher education for those coming from educationally advantaged families. For those coming from less educationally advantaged families, higher education moderates the positive effect on wages of non-formal ALE without employer support. Rather than being a way to compensate for between-group inequalities, this type of ALE allows for labour market adaptation for the educationally disadvantaged and has positive effects within the group. We conclude that various types of ALE are institutionalised into different paths of human capital accumulation.

Human and Social Capital as Factors of Entrepreneurial Success in Russian Conditions

Subject. The article investigates the role of human and social capital as success factors of Russian entrepreneurs. Objectives. The focus is on the estimation of the impact of human, social, and religious capital on the choice of entrepreneurial career and its results in Russian conditions. Methods. The study employs regression analysis of the Russian Longitudinal monitoring survey data to review factors determining the choice of business activities, the level of income and work and life satisfaction of Russian entrepreneurs. The Heckman model is used to consider the effect of self-selection into the group of entrepreneurs. Results. Entrepreneurial career provides both an increased personal income and higher level of work satisfaction, despite a higher workload. Higher education and high activity in social networks, indicating developed communication skills and readiness to use new opportunities provided by modern technologies, increase the likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur. Russian religious believers are more actively engaged in entrepreneurship compared to agnostics and atheists, and gain increased entrepreneurial income. Conclusions. Individuals who tend to trust others are more likely to become entrepreneurs, and a necessary condition for obtaining high entrepreneurial income is the formation of a team that can be trusted. Since Russia is characterized by a significantly lower level of trust in people compared to most economically developed countries, this fact limits the level of entrepreneurial activity.

Does Physical Activity Make Russian Youth Happier?

The article considers the relationship between the indicators of physical activity of youth in Russia and the level of their life satisfaction.The authors draw attention to the importance of understanding how physical culture and sports can contribute to the formation of an indicator of the subjective well-being of youth in Russia (on the example of students). The study is based on data from the Russian Longitudinal MonitoringSurvey – Higher School of Economics (RLMS – HSE). For empirical analysis were used individual panel data for 2009–2019. The analyzed sample includes full-time students of Russian universities, technical colleges and colleges aged 16 to 25 (2918 men and 3417 women).The first part of the article analyzes trends and characteristics of the physical activity of Russian students in recent years before the COVID-19 pandemic, reveals preferences for engaging in specific types of physical activity and sports, analyzes the intensity of these activities and assesses life satisfaction of Russian students depending on their level of physical activity and sports.Based on the patterns identified in the first part of the article, hypotheses are formulated about the presence of a positive correlation between the indicators of physical activity of students (physical culture and sports activities and their intensity) and their subjective assessment of life satisfaction. The results of econometric testing of the hypotheses are presented in the second part of the article. Ordered logit regression on panel data with a random individual effect was used for the analysis. Evaluations were conducted for each gender group separately. When constructing the corresponding models, in addition to physical activity indicators, a wide range of individual factors that could affect the life satisfaction of young residents of our country were also taken into account, namely age, gender, place of residence, availability of own housing, self-assessment of health status, body mass index, smoking habit, marital status, income, loan debts of household.The regression analysis demonstrates that, all else being equal, a positive correlation between the physical activity and its intensity, on one hand, and level of life satisfaction on the other, but exclusively for male students. For women, however, only high-intensity physical activity leads to an increase in their level of life satisfaction.According to results of the study, the authors formulated several recommendations aimed at stimulating the physical activity of young students, and concluded that the implementation of special programs to revitalize the lifestyle of Russian students, taking into account the patterns identified in the work, can contribute both to an increase in the share of physically active youth and the growth of the subjective well-being of this category of the population.

Dynamics of Pension Indicators: Analysis of Russian Micro Data

The article represents the statistical analysis of the pension provision indicators dynamics. The research is based on The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey – Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) data for 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020. The dynamics of pensions, ratio of the pensions to the pensioner’s subsistence minimum has been analyzed. The research revealed that the retirement drastically reduces the older person’s well-being. The pensioner’s employment enables households to maintain a relatively high level of average per capita income. Most of the employed pensioners work in state-owned enterprises, live in regional centers and cities, and have a high level of education.

Indicators characterizing the health of Russian residents by 2021

Based on the data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of the Higher School of Economics, the main factors characterizing health in dynamics on the basis of respondents' self-assessments from 1994 to 2020 are considered. According to the 2020 data, no significant changes in health have been revealed, that might allow us to talk about an obvious impact of the pandemic. About a half of men and a third of women considered themselves healthy, 45.8% of men and 52.0% of women define their health as average. The negative assessments by residents of various settlements have almost become equal, and by 2020, urban residents have already assessed their health as worse than residents of villages. Villagers are half as likely to rate their health as poor. The main factors that can make a negative contribution to the pandemic situation have been identified: (1) 8.5% of men and 13.2% of women consider their health to be bad and very bad; during the past 30 days in 2020, a fifth of men and a third of women had health problems; (2) 22.6% are not satisfied with their lives in general, the well-being of men and women practically does not differ; (3) 56.3% are not satisfied with their financial situation; 29.7% reported that their financial situation has worsened; (4) 6.7% are not satisfied with their work; (5) 16.6% do not see prospects and believe that they will live worse in the near future; (6) 63.4% of people are very worried or a little worried about the threat of losing their job; (7) 77.4% lead a passive lifestyle, do not exercise; (8) 43.9% of men and 13.1% of women smoke.

A Respected Individual: Self-Identification Dynamics and Specifics, 1994–2020

This is an article on the dynamics and specifics of people’s self-evaluation of the respect they receive from others, based on data from the “Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS–HSE)” (1994–2020). It shows that in recent years the dynamics of respect self-assessments have become somewhat shaky as opposed to them having been positive for quite a long period of time. In the minds of Russian people respect is rather vaguely linked to evaluation of financial status and possession of power. However there is a marked connection between where people place themselves on the scale of respect on one hand and such closely tied and unilateral components as tolerance and trust on the other. The influence of specific, personified interpersonal trust on the self-evaluations that were subject to analysis is more pronounced than that of general trust, which is still pretty low in Russian society. Association with the type of people who are generally respected by society depends more on one’s professional, civic and national identity than on political affiliation. Scores on the respect scale improve when a person partakes in work activity and has a positive outlook on their own professional qualities and achievements. People’s evaluation of how respected they are is boosted by professional growth and diminished by elevated anxiety on account of possibly becoming unemployed or facing difficulties trying to find a job, and in conditions of economic instability and uncertainty.

Factors that Lead to Leaving the Labor Market at the Age of 45 and up in Russia: Role of Job Characteristics, Labor Mobility and Life-Long Learning

. This paper is devoted to analyzing the impact of labor mobility and life-long learning on employment termination, as well as to revealing the work characteristics that keep individuals on the labor market. It contributes to the discussion about factors associated with a person leaving the labor market to become economically inactive in retirement. In foreign and domestic literature most of the research is devoted to studying how personal and familial characteristics, as well as human capital influence employment. The impact of employment characteristics, labor mobility and life-long learning on a person’s chances to maintain a job has not been sufficiently studied, and the studies that do exist often come to contradictory conclusions. The research is based on 10 annual waves of the “Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS–HSE)” conducted from 2010 to 2019. Using the Cox regression with time-varying covariates, we obtained the hazard ratios of leaving the labor market for people at the age of 45 and older, for men and women. The results show that participation in life-long learning increases the chances of continuing to be employed by 19,1%, with that being more important for women. Labor mobility increases the risk of unemployment by more than 3,5 times for the target group, especially for men. The most common characteristics of employment in Russia — formal employment, full-time work, working in medium-sized or large enterprises — contribute to maintaining employment by 42, 19, 28–36%, respectively. Types of work outside of enterprises or organizations, as well as in private companies, accelerate the transition to unemployment.

Dynamics of subjective power status

The article presents the results of the analysis of the features of self-identification of Russian citizens in the power space of the post-Soviet society. The empirical base of the study is formed by the data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) by HSE University (1994–2020). The study revealed a positive, but very moderate and not always consistent dynamics of Russian citizens' assessments of their position in the power space. However, despite the fact that Russians have become more optimistic about their ability to influence current events, many of them still feel that they are not active subjects, but rather passive and helpless objects in the system of power relations. There has been established a significant negative, but not strong, correlation between self-assessment of power status and age, as well as a more significant positive correlation between subjective power status and the level of education and professional status closely related to it.
 Self-assessment of power status is enhanced by individuals´ belonging to professional groups, whose representatives are more associated with prestigious, highly skilled and highly paid work. A positive correlation has been established between a person's self-determination in the power space and the level of his involvement in professional activities, especially in those with leadership and management functions. A positive correlation is clearly recorded between self-assessment of power status and assessment of the level of respect by others, but the strongest is the relationship between assessments of one's position on the power scales and material well-being. Possession of power expands the resource base of an individual and increases his chances of success in realising life goals. A positive perception of one's professional qualities and achievements, participation in various forms of social and political life significantly increases self-assessment of power status. The most significant factors acting in the opposite direction include the cessation of full communication with other people.

Quality оf Working Life аnd Job Satisfaction on the Russian Labour Market

The article reviews foreign and russian quantitative studies on job satisfaction. The place of job satisfaction in the overall assessment of the quality of working life is shown. A review of studies that consider different sets of factors as an explanation for the level of job satisfaction is carried out. Based on the data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE) for 2019-2020 an analysis of individual indicators of the quality of working life was carried out. Hypotheses are put forward regarding the factors influencing job satisfaction and these hypotheses are tested on the basis of data from the RLMS-HSE. The author comes to the conclusion that there are correlations between various types of satisfaction (wages, working conditions, opportunities for professional growth, financial situation and life in general), they are positive, highly significant and quite strong. There is a correlation between job satisfaction and the degree of trust of employees in their colleagues and management, the presence of subordinates, the amount of money earned, the type of settlement (expectedly, cities have the highest percentage of job satisfaction), the level of education and the desire to find another job. The dependence of job satisfaction on gender, marital status, age, Russian or foreign ownership of the enterprise, state or private enterprise, promotion or transfer to another unit was not confirmed. Multiple correlation analysis showed heterogeneity of determinants of job satisfaction depending on the place of residence, age and income level of the respondents. The analysis showed that the increase in job satisfaction reduces the likelihood that an employee wants to find a new job, as well as the likelihood that he already has a second job.

Estimating the return on social capital in Russian conditions

Subject. The article investigates the role of social capital as a factor of competitiveness in the Russian labor market. Objectives. The purpose is to estimate the impact of social capital on employment prospects, wages, work and life satisfaction in Russian conditions. Methods. I use the data of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey to estimate the return on social capital. Summary indicators of social capital are estimated, using the factor analysis of survey variables that characterize relationships with relatives, work colleagues, friends, etc. To consider the effect of self-selection in employment for women, I use the Heckman model. Results. The study revealed that good relations with colleagues and the ability to use their resources to solve professional problems closely correlate with wage growth, minimize risks of unemployment, and contribute to increasing the job and life satisfaction. The ability to get support from relatives does not affect success in the labor market, but has a significant positive impact on life satisfaction. Having good friends has a positive effect on both life and work satisfaction, especially for women. Conclusions. A significant impact of good relations with colleagues on success in the labor market and subjective well-being demonstrates the importance of forming and developing a network of professional contacts as a factor of building a successful career. Friendly atmosphere, mutual support of labor collective members, good personal relations with the closest partners are important factors of success in Russian conditions. They require special attention of managers.

Pay and employee intrapreneurialism in Russia, 1994–2015: A longitudinal study

AbstractWe examine whether a high wage–high employee intrapreneurial inputs model remains a significant feature of the Russian economy. We do so by estimating the evolution of employee ‘intrapreneurial’ contributions to companies in Russia, 1994–2015, using Akerlof's theory of ‘partial gift exchange’. Akerlof (1982) suggests that employee discretionary contributions to organizational capacities rise when pay exceeds employee perceptions of ‘fair’ pay in comparable employment. Using the extensive Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS), we find that overall employee intrapreneurial contributions significantly declined, 1994–2015, mirroring the declining Akerlof wage premium. Intrapreneurialism in highly informalized sectors was associated with labour market pressures. We extend Akerlof's theory to recognize intrapreneurial activity associated with coercive labour market pressures in the secondary labour market.