The Elderly and the State: Specifics of the Relationship in Contemporary Russia on the Example of the Elderly in St. Petersburg

Abstract

This article presents the results of sociological research on the paternalistic attitudes that determine the relationship between the state and the elderly in the context of new socioeconomic conditions. It was revealed that the previous paternalistic expectations of the elderly were stable and manifested more strongly in the older age group (71–90 years old). The younger age group of the elderly (55–70 years old) begins to distance themselves from the guardianship of the state and relies more on their own resources under new circumstances. Four groups of the elderly were differentiated by their degree of adequacy in their view of the social situation, reliance on state resources, and their own activity. Paternalism takes on new forms that are reflected in the mentality of the older generation of citizens.