Aggregated Indices of Public Opinion on the Life Quality in Russian Regions

The article offers methodological approaches to the study of features and differences in the population's assessments of living conditions in the regions of Russia. An attempt is made to build aggregated indices that characterize the economic growth potential, the aggregate opinion and estimates of the population of regions, the social concern of citizens and the level of public security. For this purpose, we use data from special sociological surveys and official statistics on 47 subjects of the Russian Federation. Aggregated indices are calculated using the principal component method. Statistical relationships between the constructed indices are investigated, a regression model is constructed that characterizes the dependence of the population's satisfaction on living conditions from the level of economic potential, concern and trust to law enforcement agencies. A comparative analysis of the possibilities of economic growth of regions, levels of satisfaction and concern of the population is carried out. The dynamics of economic potential growth in the regions of the Russian Federation is also analyzed, taking into account the possibility of forecasting and application in social management.