Тренды субъективного благополучия в России: 1998-2018

Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Серия 12: Социология. 2020. № 1. С. 4–24.

Shirokanova A.

The paper reviews and analyses Russian surveys on subjective wellbeing, one of the key noneconomic indicators of social development. Two main indicators, the level of happiness and overall life satisfaction, are compared across eight international and Russian research projects, 1998-2018 (European Social Survey, European Values Study, World Values Survey, RLMSHSE, the “Eurobarometer in Russia” project, surveys by the VCIOM, Levada Center, and
FOM). The review shows that the main trend in this period was a gradual growth in subjective wellbeing in 2003-2012, which change for a decrease in life satisfaction and, simultaneously, increase in happiness. This fork testifies to an ongoing mobilization period in Russian society which will continue with either a decline or growth of both indicators. The review also shows that the divergence in subjective wellbeing surveys was maximal in presidential election years
(2008 and 2012). The most distinct results are provided by the VCIOM and the “Eurobarometer in Russia”. The paper also shows how using an answer scale with no neutral option tends to overstate the estimated share of the happy and satisfied respondents. Overall, an overview of these comparative results has identified no consistent differences in wellbeing in Russia by gender, but supports the finding that the share of the satisfied and happy in Russia decreases substantially at the age of 35 years or above. Thus, the indicators of subjective wellbeing mirror the logic of public opinion in Russia. After 2014, despite the growth in patriotic moods, only few of the compared surveys show an increase in subjective wellbeing, mostly due to a short-term surge in happiness. The current discrepancy in survey
results indicates an ongoing mobilization period in the Russian society, which will be followed by either a rise or decline in both indicators.

Keywords: Россия, сравнительные исследования, Russia, субъективное благополучие, удовлетворенность жизнью, счастье, open data, открытые данные, happiness, comparative research, life satisfaction, subjective wellbeing

Publication based on the results of: The role of values and institutions in cultural differences by country and region (2020)