Relationship of alcohol consumption with social structure of contemporary Russia

The article is devoted to consumption of alcohol in contemporary Russia. It is aimed at revealing a range of social practices of-alcohol consumption; at testing how those practices are connected to social classes existing in Russia, and moreover, discovering social layers which demonstrate new styles of alcohol drinking. Social practices are classified according to types of alcoholic beverages consumed during the last 30 days, frequency of drinking, places of alcohol consumption, and association between alcohol drinking and mealtime. The research is built on the 21st wave of Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE), an annual nationwide panel survey designed to monitor health and economic welfare of households and individuals in Russia. All calculations were done on a sample of 8,778 alcohol drinkers aged 15 and older. Methods used to analyze data embrace correspondence analysis, factor analysis, and k-means cluster analysis. Six practices of alcohol consumption are ascertained. Research findings demonstrate significant relation of social structure and alcohol consumption. Higher classes mostly represent consumers of light and expensive alcohol. Middle classes tend to consume homemade alcohol. Lower classes stick to vodka, traditional and cheap alcohol. Additionally, individuals who tend to excessive drinking are concentrated in lower-low class.