Vol 21, No 2 (2025)

The work is devoted to the problems of the living conditions of the population, which were considered in the framework of the study in order to identify their precariousness. The information basis of the study was made up of microdata from a Comprehensive monitoring of the living conditions of the population conducted by Rosstat in 2022. To identify the precariousness of the living conditions of the population, the following measurements are proposed: the quality of housing conditions; the quality and accessibility of housing and communal services; the reliability of housing; the quality of living conditions in the place of residence (in the dwelling) and in the locality. Estimates of the precariousness of the living conditions of the population according to its individual characteristics, as well as taking into account their concentration, have been obtained. It is shown that 10.9% of the population have no signs indicating precariousness of living conditions, 26.0% of the population have one sign, 22.0% of the population have two signs, and 41.1% of the population have three or more signs. Quantitative estimates of the population distribution have been obtained depending on the combination and concentration of characteristics associated with living in a dwelling and in a locality. It was found that 9.3% of the population is characterized by the presence of one or two signs associated with living in a locality. 21.2% of the population is distinguished by precariousness of living conditions, which is a consequence of one of the manifestations associated with living in a dwelling, 9.9% – two such manifestations. In about a quarter of the population, living conditions are precarious due to the concentrated (three or more) manifestations of signs associated with living in a dwelling and/or in a locality. Another quarter of the population has a less concentrated (one or two) manifestation of signs of precarious living conditions.

The article is devoted to the study of spatial polarisation of demographic development of Russian regions in the period from 1994 to 2024. Based on the analysis of statistical data, including the results of All-Russian population censuses and current records of Rosstat, the key trends determining the differences in the demographic situation at the regional level are identified. The main attention is paid to population dynamics, migration processes, fertility and life expectancy indicators. The results of the study indicate a significant spatial differentiation of demographic processes. Large agglomerations, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, demonstrate steady population growth due to migration inflow, while the regions of the Far East, Siberia and the North face steady depopulation caused by migration outflow and natural population decline. The analysis of the total fertility rate (TFR) showed that only two regions (the Chechen Republic and the Republic of Tyva) corresponded to the expanded type of population reproduction in 2024, while most regions of the central and western parts of the country are characterised by extremely low birth rates. Special attention is paid to life expectancy, which also demonstrates significant regional differentiation. The lowest values are recorded in the northern and eastern regions. The highest values are observed in the southern regions and large cities. Based on the analysis of natural and migration growth rates, four groups of regions were identified. In conclusion, the authors propose recommendations for demographic policy aimed at reducing spatial disproportions and ensuring sustainable demographic growth.

The article presents the results of a sociological study conducted in 2024 among large families in Moscow and Moscow region. The sample amounted to 253 respondents. The purpose of the study is to examine the economic situation of large families, their reproductive plans and factors influencing the decision to have children. The research material consisted of 253 questionnaires filled out by parents with many children who had at least one minor child under the age of 18 in their family at the time of the survey. The respondents' responses statistically processed for analysis. A content analysis of national and foreign publications on the research topic also conducted. Out of more than 50 publications, 15 of the most relevant to the subject of the study selected. The data analysis showed that the majority of respondents have three children, and the desired number of children in the family, given the necessary conditions, is five. However, the real plans of most families are limited to three children. The main obstacles to having more children are economic factors such as material difficulties, high credit burden, housing problems and uncertainty about the future. The survey also showed that additional measures of state support for families with children had little impact on respondents' decision to have a younger child. More than half of the respondents do not plan to have more children, and the birth of a younger child did not contribute to improving the family's standard of living, solving housing problems or receiving significant material assistance from the state. The results of the study emphasize the need to develop and implement effective measures of state support for large families aimed at improving their economic situation and creating favorable conditions for the implementation of reproductive plans (such as targeted social payments, housing and education benefits). Also authors believe that it’s important to overcome stereotypes in society and the media related to the material well-being of large families in Russia.).

Digitalization of labor processes and the growing popularity of online platforms open up new opportunities for monitoring and forecasting labor market dynamics. However, the issues related to the representativeness of online vacancies data, their timeliness and completeness remain unresolved. The scientific interest of the study lies in the development of approaches to the integration of data from online sources with official statistics, which will improve the accuracy of forecasting and promptness of labor market assessment. In traditional labor market analysis, vacancies are used to measure labor market tensions and can signal the presence of imbalances in the labor market, when supply and demand do not match each other (in terms of qualitative characteristics, geographically, etc.). The purpose of the article is to compare the data of online vacancies and official statistics to develop approaches to monitoring and forecasting labor market dynamics. The article gives an example of implementation of labor market monitoring based on big data and comparison of online vacancies data with the sources of official statistics. The main sources of data for comparison were Rosstat and hh.ru (open vacancy data). The author's methodology of aggregation of vacancy data into groups of professional spheres and professions based on official classifiers, as well as methods of calculation and estimation of salary levels were used in the comparison. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the obtained and aggregated data of the online job search portal hh.ru reliably correlates with the official quarterly and monthly statistics on the dynamics of the number of open vacancies and salaries. Finally, we discuss methods of forecasting labor market dynamics using machine learning methods based on open big data. According to the authors, the possibility of correlating the dynamics of the indicators of online portals with official statistics of enterprises could complement the methodology of labor market monitoring and increase the reliability of forecasts.

This study examines the methodological and practical aspects of regulatory regulation of the quality of life of the population in urban agglomerations of Russia, which represent a special type of territorial formation that combines the functions of large cities and adjacent rural areas. The aim of the study was to find ways to ensure the quality of life of the population in urban agglomerations based on the potential of using strategic planning and standardization tools. The objectives of the study included solving issues related to the formation of a clear conceptual framework; defining strategies and plans for the development of regulatory regulation of the quality of life of the population of the agglomeration. Based on the analysis of the specifics of urban agglomeration associations, the authors propose a set of measures aimed at stimulating progressive economic development and increasing the quality of life of the population in them. Among the measures outlined to improve the quality of life of the population are a methodological approach to the development of strategic development programs, a model for the sustainable development of an urban agglomeration based on the principles of quality management of territory management, a regulatory regulatory model, and a set of standardization mechanisms and tools. Within the framework of this study, the authors of the article, based on theoretical provisions on standardization, generalization of data from information sources and experience in applying international standards on sustainable development and quality of life, proposed a model of the innovative national standard GOST R "Sustainable development of territories and quality of life. Urban agglomerations. Basic provisions and general requirements". The standard's layout defines the position in terms of terminology used, provides a classification of agglomerations, identifies the functions performed and the organizational structure of participants in the quality-of-life management process, etc. The study of the problem of ensuring the quality of life in urban agglomerations based on the use of strategic planning and standardization tools contributes to the theory and methodology of determining the role and place of urban agglomerations in the management structure of Russian regions.

The article reveals the historical aspect of the emergence of the concepts of "work", "labor" for understanding their meaning at various stages of human development. The main attention is paid to the transformation of the state and public recognition of the role of labor in the USSR / Russia in the twentieth century. It is shown how a fundamentally new attitude to labor of people directly involved in the process of its implementation was formed both during the period of creation and formation of a new socialist society, and during the functioning of the mobilization economy, and then in the years of trials - during the Great Patriotic War. The role of the state in changing the attitude to labor is determined, which was reflected in its economic and social policy. The article shows the ways of solving a strategically important task - the formation and formation of the cult of labor, which gradually developed in the Soviet Union. The process of its formation, enrichment and transformation into an effective force for the construction and transformation of a new type of social structure - a socialist society is described and explained. Both positive and problematic situations in the attitude to labor of various social and class groups, as well as ways of resolving emerging contradictions are considered. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of new forms of labor organization in accordance with the needs of each stage in the development of Soviet society, the forms and methods of motivating workers to productive work, the search for creative abilities and their implementation, as well as ways to overcome the contradictions that arise in the process of achieving the goal of creating an industrial power, which was created by 1941, when the Great Patriotic War began and it was necessary to restructure many aspects of the life of society and people, including in the labor sphere.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the concept of the social contract and the conclusions that follow from it, outlined in the monograph by the famous Russian sociologist J.T. Toshchenko. The relevance of this topic is determined by its weak elaboration in the Russian sociological literature. The practical role of the concept of the social contract is also significant, which is an important tool not only for research, but also for managing the processes of state and social change. The article shows the essence of the concept of the social contract proposed in the monograph. The important advantages of the monograph include a detailed insight into the evolution of the interpretation of the social contract, as well as the processes of its implementation at various stages of the existence of Russia / the USSR. The article reveals the prospects for the development of methodological approaches arising from this concept and their application to the analysis of modern Russian society. Attention is drawn to the need to study the latent moods and orientations of various social groups of the population. Along with the analysis of sociological data using the apparatus of mathematical statistics, it seems advisable to use the methodological arsenal of psychological sciences. The features of the formation of a social contract from the perspective of modern Russia as a "trauma society" are shown. The article pays special attention to the influence of the moral state of the country's population on the process of forming a social contract, the consequences of a number of negative processes in the spiritual life of society. This has led to the loss of many positive meanings, the spread of orientations towards material well-being, career, prestigious family, hedonism, and various forms of antisocial behavior. Based on the use of empirical research results, an increase in the closeness of the "recruitment" of Russia's top economic elite has been noted. The important role of such large social groups as the precariat and pensioners in the formation of the ideology of social contract is shown, the role of ethnic diasporas in this process. The article substantiates the complexity and inconsistency of the processes of forming an effective social contract in the modern realities of our country.

This review is devoted to the XIX International Scientific Conference "Sorokin Readings", which took place on February 17, 2025 at the Faculty of Sociology of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The topic of this conference was: "Modern Russian youth: their social responsibility and potential for the development of the country (on the 270th anniversary of Moscow University)". Speakers from universities and research institutes in Russia (Institute for Demographic Research - Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IDR FCTAS RAS), Institute of Sociology - Branch of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IS FCTAS RAS), Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS), Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Russian State University for the Humanities  (RSUH), Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), Southern Federal University (SFedU), etc.) and abroad were able to make presentations at the plenary and sectional venues. The topics of the presented reports were extensive, but at the same time profound.