The standard of living exists and is used together with a whole family of synonymous and similar terms: national welfare, quality of life and others.

First of all, this is people's welfare, the broadest and most capacious concept from this set. “People’s welfare is understood as a complex socio-economic phenomenon that integrates the characteristics of the level, image and quality of life of the population, each of which represents only a certain cross-section of a single, but multifaceted and voluminous social organism. Ultimately, people’s welfare reflects the development of people’s needs, the state and ways to satisfy them in relation to the main spheres of life: labor, consumption, culture, reproductive behavior, socio-political life."

To date, “national welfare” has gradually begun to lose popularity, being, firstly, a term related to the outdated vocabulary of a centrally planned economy, secondly, under the influence of the growing use of the concepts of the level and quality of life and, thirdly, in connection with a certain incompatibility of the term “welfare,” which has a positive semantic connotation, with a significant drop in the standard of living of the majority of the country’s population.

Quality of life is defined as a subjective assessment of the degree to which people’s material and spiritual needs are met. Russian scientists have actively turned to the study of problems of quality of life, primarily in connection with the exacerbation of the systemic crisis and the deepening socio-economic contradictions in society, which is expressed mainly in a decrease in real incomes of the population, deepening property differentiation, an increase in the incidence of illness among the population and a gradual reduction in the duration of life. his life.

Quality of life, therefore, should be considered as a set of certain characteristics of vital aspects, processes and phenomena for a person, reflecting his modern existence, both in the aspect of work activity and in the aspect of life activity in general.

The modern economic dictionary defines the term “quality of life” as a socio-economic category that represents a generalization of the concept of “standard of living” and includes “not only the level of consumption of material goods and services, but also the satisfaction of spiritual needs, health, life expectancy, environmental conditions, surrounding a person, spiritual comfort." In our opinion, the problem of the study is not to add the concept of “quality of life” to the concept of “standard of living”, but to reflect the quality of life when analyzing and assessing the standard of living, which requires an appropriate taxonomy of people’s needs and proper assessment their level of development and degree of satisfaction.

It should be noted that quality of life as a category of economic science is interconnected with such concepts, similar in origin and content, as lifestyle, lifestyle, and standard of living of a person.

Lifestyle is a fusion of objective conditions and the subjective side of people’s activities, an expression, first of all, of their socio-economic activity. The way of life is “led”, practiced, it is, as it were, a general formula for the daily existence of an individual. In other words, a way of life is the typical, practiced norms and behavior of people, the way of their daily activities in the sphere of work and life, in the production and consumption of both material and spiritual values.

Thus, the quality of life reflects the degree to which a whole range of diverse material, spiritual, intellectual, cultural, aesthetic and other needs of people are satisfied.

1.2 Indicators for measuring the level and quality of life

To determine the level and quality of life of the population, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of those elements that help assess the socio-economic situation in the country.

It should also be remembered that these concepts are influenced by many factors.

Integral indicators for measuring the standard of living are: real income per capita, real wages, income from secondary employment, from the sale of personal farm products, dividends (on stocks and bonds), interest on household deposits, pensions, benefits, scholarships.

Using these indicators, the level, dynamics and structure of income from various sources are studied and forecasted.

Real income of the population D p are determined by dividing the total amount of cash income by the consumer price index:

Where D D - the total amount of cash income of the population;

Consumer price index.

There is a difference between real incomes of the population without taking into account services and taking into account services.

Real income excluding services - part of GDP used by the population to satisfy material and cultural needs.

Real income including services - part of GDP used by the population for consumption and accumulation of material goods and services.

To characterize the growth (decrease) of real incomes, indices of real incomes of the entire population are calculated, as well as indices of real incomes by social groups.

When calculating real income indices, comparability of prices must be ensured; For this purpose, the calculations take into account price changes for the comparable period - the consumer price index.

Real wages of workers are a component of real income (including services).

It is determined by dividing the nominal (accrued) wage by the consumer price index for goods and services:

Where Salary R - real wages,

Salary N - nominal wage;

Consumer price index.

In the policy of incomes and wages, indicators characterizing their differentiation also occupy a significant place.

The differentiation of income and wages makes it possible to assess the ongoing social changes, the level of social tension and determine the nature of the income and wage policy.

Indicators of income and wage differentiation are:

distribution of population by level of average per capita income - an indicator of the share or percentage of the population in certain given intervals of average per capita monetary income;

distribution of the total volume of cash income among various population groups - an indicator (in percentage) of the share of the total volume of cash income that each of the 20% (10%) groups of the population has;

decile income differentiation coefficient - the ratio of average per capita monetary income, above and below which are the tenths of the most and least affluent population;

coefficient of differentiation of population incomes by constituent entities of the Federation - the ratio of the highest and lowest levels of average per capita income in the constituent entities of the Federation;

wage differentiation coefficient - the ratio of the highest and lowest wage levels between industries, regions, professions, within industries and enterprises, etc.

Some of the most common indicators of income differentiation are also the income concentration coefficient (Gini index) and the Lorenz curve, which allow one to judge the degree of removal from the state of equality in income distribution. The calculation of the Gini index is related to the Lorenz curve.

Income inequality graph (Lorenz curve) shown in Fig. 4.1

Straight line OA called the line of absolute equality of income distribution. It reflects a situation where 20% of people own 20% of the income, 40% of the people own 40% of the income, etc. Curve OB shows the actual distribution of income among family groups.

Increased inequality in income distribution is expressed in a change in the configuration of the Lorenz curve towards increasing its concavity in relation to the line of absolute equality.

Income concentration ratio (Gini index) ) represents the deviation of the actual distribution of income of the population from the line of their uniform distribution. It is determined by the ratio of the area of ​​the figure formed by the Lorenz curve and the line of absolute equality to the area of ​​the entire triangle OAS. The value of the coefficient can vary from 0 to 1 or from 0 to 100%. It should be noted that the higher the value of the indicator, the more unevenly income is distributed in society.

To determine the general direction of changes in income distribution, the directional coefficient of the population stratification process is used - the ratio of the population with incomes below the subsistence level to the population with incomes above the high-income budget per 1 thousand people. The dynamics of the stratification coefficient characterizes the increase or decrease in the polarization of society.

In Russia, the bottom 20% account for 6% of income, and the top 20% account for 47%. This ratio is close to the national average. Income is distributed similarly in, for example, Great Britain, Estonia, and Kyrgyzstan. A lower ratio of the share of income of the 20% most and least wealthy people is in Slovakia (12% to 31%), the Czech Republic (10% to 37%), and Hungary (9% to 37%). In a number of developing countries this ratio is much higher - in South Africa (3% to 63%), Chile (3% to 61%), Mexico (4% to 51%).

STATISTICS OF THE LEVEL AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POPULATION

Indicators characterizing the standard of living of the population; balance of monetary income and expenditure of the population; indicators of per capita monetary income and analysis of their dynamics; population consumption structure; calculation of the cost of living; assessment of the degree of differentiation and concentration of the population by income level; the problem of creating general indicators of quality of life

Standards of living- these are his income-property opportunities, ensuring the satisfaction of his material and spiritual needs under the restrictions set by the cost of living. To characterize the standard of living of the population, statistical authorities use a number of indicators:

integral indicators of social development and living standards of the population;

indicators of personal income of the population;

indicators of population expenditure and consumption;

indicators of differentiation of the population by standard of living.

Integralindicatorssocialdevelopment andlevellifepopulation

Integral indicators include:

macroeconomic indicators of the standard of living of the population;

demographic indicators;

indicators of economic activity of the population.

Currently, national statistical practice is introducing macroeconomic indicators of the standard of living of the population (the system of national accounts is used to calculate them):

household disposable income;

adjusted household disposable income;

real household disposable income;

actual final consumption of households;

consumer price index.

Under, household disposable income refers to the amount of current income that can be used by households to finance the final consumption of goods and services or for savings. This amount includes income from production activities, from property and current income received by households as a result of redistribution operations (current transfers). This indicator shows how much economic resources are available to the population and can be used by them to meet their needs.

Adjusted household disposable income exceeds disposable income by the amount of social transfers in kind. Social transfers include free or discounted yen services in the fields of education, culture, health care, social security, and housing and communal services.

Real disposable household income is equal to current period disposable income adjusted to the consumer price index (CPI), and reflects the maximum value of goods and services that households could purchase with their current income at base period prices, without resorting to the use of their accumulated financial or non-financial assets and without increasing financial obligations.

Actual final household consumption- this is the cost of goods and services actually purchased by resident households at the expense of current income for individual consumption or received by them from government agencies or non-profit organizations free of charge or at preferential prices in the form of social transfers.

Consumer price index is intended to characterize changes over time in the general level of prices for goods and services purchased by the population for non-productive consumption. Changes in the general level of consumer prices are assessed based on a comparison of the cost of the consumer basket (a fixed set of goods and services most frequently consumed by the population). Consumer price indices are calculated both for the entire population and for individual groups, taking into account the specifics of their consumer spending (for the groups “pensioners”, “households with incomes below the subsistence level”, etc.).

(Methods for calculating the CPI, as well as sources of information for its calculation, are discussed in topic 4.1.)

TOindicators of the demographic situation in the country include indicators such as the level and dynamics of the resident population, crude birth and death rates, infant mortality rates, life expectancy, and population migration rates. (The content and methods of calculating these indicators are discussed in section 3.)

Indicators of economic activity of the population characterize the number and composition of the economically active and employed population, the ratio of the number of people employed in the economy and the total population, the number and composition of the unemployed, and the unemployment rate.

Indicatorspersonalincomepopulation

There are two approaches to the study of personal income of the population: the balance of monetary income and expenditure of the population; sample survey of household budgets.

Sources of information for compiling balance of monetary income and expenditure of the population are statistical and financial statements of economic entities, which are units of statistical observation, as well as the results of specially organized surveys, data from tax services and expert assessments.

The income side of the balance sheet reflects the following: types of cash income of the population:

remuneration of employees in cash and in kind with all allowances related to the wage fund;

income of employees not related to the wage fund;

dividends;

proceeds from the sale of agricultural products by enterprises and organizations;

pensions, benefits, scholarships and other income from the financial system;

income of the population from the sale of foreign currency;

business income from unincorporated enterprises owned by households;

other receipts.

In table Table 5.1 provides data reflecting changes in the structure of cash incomes of the population of Russia for the period 2003-2005.

Table 5.1

StructuremonetaryincomepopulationRussianFederation, % Tototal

Source: Russia in numbers - 2006.

Guided by the data from the balance of monetary income and expenditure of the population, the total amount of monetary income of the entire population is determined, and then, on its basis, the average per capita monetary income.

Average per capita cash income are calculated as the ratio of the total monetary income of the population for the current period to the average annual population for the same period.

Based on the total monetary income of the population, a calculation is made disposable cash income by subtracting mandatory payments and contributions.

Indices of real cash income and real disposable income are determined by dividing the corresponding indices of cash income of the population in nominal terms by the consumer price index:

I real.d = I nom.d : I p.ts

Where I real d - real income index;

I nom d - nominal income index;

I p c - consumer price index.

Household Budget Survey(the second method of determining population income) is a specially organized sample observation. The unit of observation is the household. The survey is conducted by directly interviewing members of households included in the sample population.

One of the shortcomings of this survey is the almost complete absence of households with the highest incomes in the sample population, which leads to systematic errors in the indicators.

When studying the standard of living, not only the size of monetary income is of great importance, but also the potential possibility of using it to purchase goods and services, i.e. purchasing power of money income. Purchasing power level of cash income can be measured either by the quantity of a certain type of good (service), or by the quantity of a fixed set of goods and services that can be purchased for the amount of average per capita monetary income:

PS = D: R,

where PS is the purchasing power of the average per capita monetary income of the population as a whole or a separate group, calculated in the form of a commodity equivalent for a specific product, service or a certain set of goods and services (for example, for a minimum food basket *);

D - average per capita cash income of the population as a whole

or a separate group of it;

R - the average price of a good, service, or the cost of a specific set of goods and services.

IndicatorsexpensesAndconsumptionpopulation

The volume of consumption of material goods and services by the population, determined by the balance of monetary income and expenditure of the population, is the most general indicator of consumption, since the structure of population consumption can be analyzed using the balance.

Cash expenditures of the population grouped as follows:

purchase of goods and payment for services;

mandatory payments and voluntary contributions;

* Minimum food basket- a set of food products compiled taking into account the norms of physiological needs for nutrients and energy and providing the minimum required amount of calories.

increase in savings in deposits and securities;
buying a property;

expenses of the population for the purchase of foreign currency;

money sent via transfers.

Consumer expenses of the population only that part of monetary expenditures is called that is directed by households directly to the purchase of consumer goods and personal services for current consumption.

This includes the following costs:

To purchase food for home nutrition;

for eating out;

for the purchase of non-food products (clothing, shoes, television and radio equipment, recreational items, vehicles, fuel, furniture, etc.);

for the purchase of alcoholic beverages;

to pay for services (housing, utilities, household and medical services, education, services of cultural institutions, etc.).

When studying consumption volumes, actual consumption is compared with existing standards. One of the main standards is living wage (minimum consumer budget), calculated for various socio-demographic groups of the population (working-age population by sex and age; pensioners; children of two age groups: 0-6 and 7-15 years), as well as by regions of Russia.

The subsistence minimum is defined as the sum of the valuation of a set set of food products, expenses for non-food goods and services, taxes and mandatory payments:

A = B + C+ D + E,

Where A- the cost of living;

IN- cost of the minimum food basket

( Where q i - consumption standard i-th food product, a p i - its average price);

C - valuation of consumption of non-food products;

D - valuation of expenses for paid services;

E- expenses for taxes and mandatory payments.

When calculating the last three components, the actual structure of expenditures in the budgets of the poorest 10% of the population is taken into account.

Based on information about the income and expenses of the population, it is calculated consumer expenditure elasticity coefficient population by income, characterizing by what percentage the population's expenses change when their income changes by 1%:

Where ∆ Y- absolute increase in population expenditures

compared to the base period;

∆X- absolute increase in income of the population compared

with a base period;

Y o - the amount of expenses in the base period;

X O - the amount of income in the base period.

Indicators of differentiation of the population by standard of living

The basis for measuring economic differentiation of the population is the analysis of inequality in the distribution of income between individual groups of the population. For assessment of population differentiation by standard of living The following indicators are used:

distribution of the population by level of average per capita income;

coefficients of differentiation of income of the population;

distribution of the total amount of cash income among various population groups;

income concentration ratio (Gini index);
population with incomes below the poverty line, poverty rate.

To study the characteristics of differentiation of the population by income level, the structural characteristics of distribution series (mode, median, quartiles, deciles, etc.), as well as indicators of variation (standard deviation, mean quartile deviation, coefficient of variation, etc.) are used.

Modal income Mo- This is the income level that is most common among the population. To calculate the mode in distribution series with equal intervals, use the formula

,

Where x 0 – lower limit of the modal interval;

i– interval size;

f Mo– frequency of the modal interval;

f Mo -1 – frequency of the interval preceding the modal one;

f Mo +1 – frequency of the interval following the modal one.

In the case of uneven distribution of a characteristic within intervals (in particular, with a gradual increase in intervals), frequencies cannot be used to calculate the mode. To compare groups with each other, instead of frequency, it is used distribution density (t= f i / i), characterizing the number of population units per unit length of the interval. In this case, the modal interval is determined by the maximum density, and the mode is calculated as follows:

Median income Me - this is the income level that divides the income distribution series into two equal parts: half of the population has a per capita income not exceeding the median income, and the other half has an income not less than the median. To calculate the median, the formula is used:

Where x 0 - lower limit of the median interval;

P- population size;

F M e-1 - accumulated frequency of the interval preceding the median;

f Me - frequency of the median interval.

Similarly defined quartiles(income levels dividing the population into four equal parts) and deciles(income levels dividing the population into ten equal parts). Methods for calculating these indicators were discussed in the first part of the course “Statistics” (“General Theory of Statistics”).

The degree of differentiation of the population in terms of average per capita income is assessed using differentiation coefficients income. There are two indicators of differentiation:

coefficient of stock differentiation (K f ) - the ratio between the average incomes of the compared population groups (usually the average income received by 10% of the population With highest and 10% of the population with the lowest income):

;

decile coefficient of income differentiation (K D ), which shows how many times the minimum income among the top 10% of the population exceeds the maximum income among the bottom 10% of the population. It is calculated by comparing the ninth and first deciles:

.

Tool analysis of population income concentration is the Lorenz curve and the income concentration index (Gini coefficient) and the stock differentiation coefficient calculated on its basis. Lorenz curve establishes a correspondence between the population size and the amount of total income received. To construct it, the population is divided into groups that are equal in size and differ in the level of average per capita income. Groups are ranked by average per capita income. For each group there are determined frequencies- shares in the total population (
, Where f i – Population i- th group  f i– total population ) and shares in total income (
, Where - average income in i-group), and on their basis – accumulated frequencies. . With an even distribution of income, the tenth of the population with the lowest incomes will have 10% of the total income, the twentieth - 20% of the total income, etc. In Fig. 5.1, the uniform distribution of income is represented by a straight line that connects the origin and point C.

The line corresponding to the actual distribution of income deviates from the line of uniform distribution the more, the greater the inequality in income distribution.

Income concentration ratio G (Gini coefficient)

allows you to analyze the degree of concentration of income among different groups of the population and quantify the unevenness of their distribution. The Gini coefficient is calculated using data on the accumulated frequencies of population size and monetary income and varies from 0 to 1:

Where k - number of grouping intervals;

R i - share of the population with average per capita income,

not exceeding the upper limit i-th interval;

q i - share of income i- population group in total

income, calculated on an accrual basis.

Poverty rate is called a relative indicator, calculated as a percentage of the population with an income level below the subsistence level to the total population of the country (region).

Socialindicatorsqualitylifepopulation

To qualitatively characterize the living conditions of the population, it is necessary to use social statistics indicators.

Currently, the UN has developed a concept of living standards, which includes the following main components:

1 . Health:

quality of the health care system;

ensuring a healthy human life.

2 . Ensuring knowledge acquisition:

teaching children;

personal training opportunity;

ability to maintain knowledge;

a person's satisfaction with his or her level of development.

Preservation and enrichment of the cultural level.

Employment and quality of working life.

Possibility of purchasing goods and using services:

level of personal income and property ownership;

degree of equality in the distribution of income and property;

quality, variety and availability of services for personal and public consumption.

State of the environment.

Personal safety and justice.

Participation in public life.

To study such a component of living standards as population health, it is necessary to have information on life expectancy, mortality rates, prevalence and incidence of diseases for the population as a whole and its demographic groups, and the level of development of treatment and preventive care for the population. In turn, the level of development of medical and preventive care to the population is characterized by such indicators as the number of medical institutions and the number of hospital beds, as well as the number of medical personnel per 10 thousand people, etc.

For characteristics state of education the country uses such indicators as the number and composition of educational institutions, the number of students, the number and quality of teaching staff, the provision of technical means of education, library funds, etc. The level of education is determined for the entire population, men and women, for various age groups and measured by the following indicators:

number of literate people per 100 people aged 9 to 49 years;

the number of persons with a certain level of education (higher, incomplete higher, specialized secondary, general secondary, incomplete secondary, primary) per 1000 people aged 15 years and older.

Important characteristics when studying level of well-being of the population are the provision of information, the degree of development of the network of sports facilities, cultural and art institutions, recreation and tourism.

Has a huge impact on the quality of life state of the environment. In this regard, information is needed on the quality of the habitat (water, soil, air), on the compliance of actual pollution levels with standard indicators.

In the last years of the 20th century, it was widely discussed human development concept. The authors of the concept emphasized the need to create conditions under which people's lives would be long, healthy and filled with creativity.

Since the concept of human development is extremely diverse, it is very important to build the most comprehensive system

indicators.

It is used as a general characteristic human development index(HDI), however, it cannot reflect all aspects of human life. Unlike GNP per capita, which serves as a measure of only welfare and economic well-being, HDI is calculated on the basis of basic indicators (determined for all countries using comparable methods), each of which characterizes one direction of human development - longevity, achieved level of education , standard of living. The Human Development Index allows not only to compare countries and regions, but also to justify their development priorities.

Tasks.

Task 5.1.1. There are data for 2005 on the distribution of the population of the Russian Federation by average per capita monetary income:

Calculate modal, median and average incomes, decile coefficient of differentiation of income of the population and income concentration index (Gini coefficient).

Solution

1. To solve the problem, let's create an additional table.

DistributionpopulationRussianFederationByaverage per capitamonetaryincomeV 2005 G.

2. Let’s calculate the indicators of the distribution center:

a) arithmetic mean

/0.0613=5079.29 rub.

c) median

Where

3. calculate the first and tenth deciles:

those. 10% of the population had an income of no more than 2264.14 rubles.

those. 10% of the population had an average per capita income of more than 13,649.7 rubles.

Using the calculated deciles, we calculate the decile differentiation coefficient:

Consequently, in 2005, the minimum income of the richest 10% of the population exceeded the maximum income of the poorest 10% of the population by more than 6 times.2000.0

8000,1-12 000,0

Over 12,000.0

Total

We find the total income using the formula

For example, for the first group this value is equal to
, for the second group - respectively
etc.

Since the accumulated frequencies in the last table are presented as a percentage of the total, to determine the Gini coefficient, the total sums of the last two columns must be divided by 10,000:

Level level and quality life populationCoursework >> Economics

... level And quality life population". The object of the study is statistical methods of study level And quality life population... 1.3 Statistical methods of study level life population Statistics explores the quantitative characteristics of the formation...

graduate work

1.1 Level and quality of life of the population, indicators and their essence

The history of studying the problem of the level and quality of life begins in XVIII. This problem was dealt with by such famous scientists, economists and philosophers as A. Smith, D. Ricardo, K. Marx and modern researchers of the 20th century F. Hayek, P. Townsend and others.

The works of A. Smith reveal the relative nature of poverty through the connection between poverty and social shame, i.e. the gap between social standards and the material ability to adhere to them. In the 19th century, it was proposed to calculate the poverty line based on family budgets and thereby introduce the criterion of absolute poverty, linking the criteria for determining poverty with the level of income and satisfaction of the individual’s basic needs related to maintaining a certain level of his working capacity and health. A significant contribution to the study of problems of the level and quality of life was made by both economists and sociologists, most of whom recognized the pattern of existence of different standards of living of people in society.

The first studies of the living standards of different social groups in Russia were carried out in 1909 by A.M. Stop. . According to this survey, the lowest income groups (below 250 rubles) spent more than three quarters of all income on physiological needs, while the highest income groups (more than 900 rubles) spent a little more than half, and the budgets of the unemployed were also specifically examined. In 1918, the first minimum budget was drawn up. In 1927, the budgets of city workers and employees were examined, and in 1929, the budgets of collective farmers, but the latter were largely falsified. Subsequently, these survey data were prohibited, because the results differed sharply from the official descriptions of living standards. The most “indecent” fact, from the point of view of the authorities, is the rapid increase in alcohol consumption to the detriment of life and family expenses. In the post-war period, the only work by employees of the Institute of Labor G.S. was published in the USSR. Sargsyan and N.P. Kuznetsova, who dealt with the problems of poverty, but using only the term low-income, which continued to be used until 1990.

Having examined the history of studying the problem of the level and quality of life of the population, let us move on to clarify the concept and essence of these definitions.

Standard of living is a complex socio-economic category that reflects the level of development of physical, spiritual and social needs, the degree of their satisfaction and the conditions in society for the development and satisfaction of these needs.

The standard of living is a multifaceted phenomenon that depends on many different reasons, ranging from the territory where the population lives, that is, geographical factors, and ending with the general socio-economic and environmental situation, as well as the state of political affairs in the country. The standard of living can be influenced to one degree or another by the demographic situation, housing and production conditions, and the volume and quality of consumer goods. All the most significant factors can be combined into the following groups:

Political factors;

Economic forces;

Social factors;

Scientific and technical progress.

Determining the standard of living is a complex and ambiguous process. Since, on the one hand, it depends on the composition and magnitude of the needs of society, and on the other, it is limited by the possibilities for satisfying them, again based on various factors determining the economic, political and social situation in the country. This includes the efficiency of production and the service sector, the state of scientific and technological progress, the cultural and educational level of the population, national characteristics, etc.

The standard of living is determined by a system of indicators, each of which gives an idea of ​​one aspect of human life. There is a classification of indicators according to individual criteria: general and specific; economic and socio-demographic; objective and subjective; cost and natural; quantitative and qualitative; indicators of proportions and consumption patterns; statistical indicators, etc.

General indicators include the size of national income and the national wealth consumption fund per capita. They characterize the general achievements of the socio-economic development of society. Particular indicators include working conditions, provision of housing and amenities, level of socio-cultural services, etc.

Economic indicators characterize the economic side of the life of society, the economic possibilities of meeting its needs. These include indicators characterizing the level of economic development of society and the well-being of the population (nominal and real incomes, employment, etc.). Socio-demographic indicators characterize the gender, age, professional composition of the population, and the physical reproduction of the labor force.

The division of indicators into objective and subjective is associated with the justification of changes in people’s life activities and are divided depending on the degree of subjectivity of the assessment made.

Value indicators include all indicators in monetary terms, while natural indicators characterize the volume of consumption of specific material goods and services in physical terms.

To characterize the standard of living, quantitative and qualitative indicators are of great importance. Quantitative ones determine the volume of consumption of specific material goods and services, and qualitative ones determine the qualitative aspect of the well-being of the population.

An important role in determining the standard of living is played by statistical indicators, which include general indicators, indicators of income, consumption and expenditure, cash savings, accumulated property and housing of the population, and a number of others.

The concept of standard of living is inseparably linked with the concept of quality of life.

The standard of living assesses the quality of life of the population and serves as a criterion for choosing the directions and priorities of the state’s economic and social policy. According to most sociologists, the main definition of quality of life is the following: quality of life is a set of indicators of the general well-being of people, characterizing the level of material consumption (standard of living), as well as the consumption of directly unpaid benefits.

The most complete definition of the quality of life of the population, in the opinion of the author, is the definition given by the director of the State Institution “All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics” (VNIITE) of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Kulaikin: “The quality of life of the population is determined by the vital potential of society, its social groups, individual citizens and the correspondence of the characteristics of processes, means, conditions and results of their life activities to socially positive needs, values ​​and goals. The quality of life is manifested in people’s subjective satisfaction with themselves and their lives, as well as in the objective characteristics characteristic of human life as a biological, mental (spiritual) and social phenomenon.”

A high quality of life for an individual citizen is when he:

There is a high life potential (good health, a sense of self-efficacy, the desire for an active meaningful life, the presence of abilities, a good education);

A system of personally significant and, at the same time, socially positive meaning and life orientations, values, interests, goals and styles of behavior has been formed;

Basic physiological and psychological needs are satisfied;

Priority is given to secondary needs - personal growth and creative activity, there are conditions for their implementation;

Meaningful life activities are carried out with milestone and final achievements, positive emotions and feelings prevail.

A high quality of life in a society is when:

There is a high life potential of society, that is, the absolute majority of citizens identify themselves with Russian society and at the same time feel safe in all respects, and their life activities correspond to the criteria described above for the high quality of life of an individual citizen;

The basic needs of all members of society are satisfied at a level not lower than the minimum social standard, that is, there is no poverty;

Political, social, entrepreneurial, industrial, economic, scientific, cultural activities are carried out in all areas of socio-economic development with milestone achievements that contribute to the quality of life of the entire population;

The vast majority of the population are satisfied with their country and what is happening in it, and feel a sense of pride in it.

Quality of life involves:

Clean environment;

Personal and national security;

Political and economic freedoms.

Quality of life is considered as a system of indicators characterizing the degree of implementation of people’s life strategies and satisfaction of their life needs. Improving the quality of life is increasing people's opportunities to solve their problems, achieve personal success and individual happiness.

In many foreign countries, quality of life, in addition to the above criteria, is understood as the financial security of the community, unity with nature, responsibility to future generations and much more.

The main areas of quality of life include: :

work life;

the sphere of development of people's abilities;

family life;

life and health maintenance;

life of the disabled;

environment;

life in experimental economic situations.

In characterizing the essence of quality of life as a socio-economic category, it is necessary to emphasize its main feature: quality of life is a sociological category that covers all spheres of society, since they all contain people’s lives and their quality.

Quality of life has two sides: objective and subjective. The criterion for objective assessment of the quality of life is the scientific standards of people's needs and interests, in relation to which one can objectively judge the degree of satisfaction of these needs and interests. On the other hand, the needs and interests of people are individual and the degree of their satisfaction can only be assessed by the subjects themselves. They are not fixed by statistical values ​​and practically exist only in the minds of people and, accordingly, in their personal opinions and assessments. .

Quality of life shows the degree of development and completeness of satisfaction of the entire complex of needs and interests of people, manifested both in various types of activities and in the very sense of life and, like the standard of living, includes the conditions, results and nature of work, demographic, ethnographic and environmental aspects of human existence.

One of the most important prerequisites for achieving the highest possible quality of life for the population is the implementation of an effective policy for the well-being of the population. The central place in welfare policy is occupied by the income of the population, their differentiation, and the constant increase in the quality of life of citizens.

The quantitative characteristics of the level and quality of life are determined by a system of indicators. which make it possible to analyze the real level and quality of life of the population, calculate their indicators by region, by socio-demographic groups of the population, determine trends in indicators and carry out international comparisons.

The system of indicators includes integral and partial, natural and cost indicators. .

The level and quality of life are determined by a system of indicators, and each definition uses its own system of indicators. Next, we will consider the indicators characterizing these concepts.

Welfare of the population and social policy of the Russian Federation

When starting to consider the problem of well-being, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that it most fully manifests itself in the economic and ethical aspects of human life and society...

General methodological approaches to the formation of a system of quality of life standards

Over the past decade, the economic system of the Russian Federation has undergone dramatic changes, which has radically affected both the state’s employment policy...

Key indicators of quality of life, economic development and growth

International Living magazine has published its quality of life index in different countries. According to the publication, France can be considered the country with the highest quality of life. The International Living index takes into account the cost of living, infrastructure...

The situation of pensioners in the Moscow labor market

Recently, throughout the world there has been an increase in interest in the problem of the level and quality of life of people; it is attracting more and more attention from both researchers and practitioners involved in the development and implementation of social policy...

The problem of low indicators of the quality of life of the population

Problems of increasing the level and quality of life of the population of the Russian Federation

Social policy of the Republic of Belarus

social policy consumer basket Standard of living is an economic category and social standard that characterizes the degree to which the physical and social needs of people are met...

Social policy: main directions and implementation mechanism

Social policy is designed to promote the development of relations of justice in society, to form a system of social protection, as well as to provide conditions for the growth of well-being and the implementation of a certain income policy...

Sociological analysis of the lifestyle of young people in the new Russia in Stavropol

The category “lifestyle” is widely used by representatives of various disciplines related to the study of the social and cultural life of people: economics, sociology, social psychology, history, cultural theory, etc...

Statistical study of the level and quality of life of the population using the example of the municipal formation "Urvansky District" of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

The term "standard of living" is inextricably linked with the term "quality of life", which is an indicator of a person's overall well-being, which is broader than material security...

Standards of living

Standards of living

Krasnoyarsk is the administrative center of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It is located 3955 km east of Moscow on the Yenisei River, and is a river port and a major transport hub in Eastern Siberia...

Level and quality of life

The main goals of man are survival, pleasure and development. Therefore, when assessing human life, one should take into account the degree to which an individual achieves these three goals. In the era of the formation of civilization...

Level and quality of life, their main indicators

The standard of living of the population is a general indicator not only of social policy, but also of the development of the economic system as a whole. The level of social well-being is the degree to which people are provided with material goods...