What Russians think about the state of the social security sector
Higher School of Economics (HSE) survey on what Russians think about the state of the social security sector
28.02.2024
The HSE interviewed 2,002 people over 18 years of age during the course of the study.
The Centre for Civil Society and Non-Profit Sector Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) has conducted a survey (the results of which have been made available to ASI) to discover how Russians feel about the current state of social welfare provision (support for the poor, the elderly, people with disabilities and those living in shelters).
43% of respondents described the system as satisfactory, 35% said it was poor, with only 15% rating it as good. However, the HSE also noted that over the last decade, the number of Russians who thought the system was good has increased significantly. In 2011-2013, the figure was only 5%.
When asked how CSOs and public initiatives could help improve the social security system, 86% named specific areas, with 5% doubting that these organisations would make any difference. Those who are already familiar with the work of the non-profit sector and have volunteered or taken part in charity work see the potential for involving CSOs in the social security sector.
43% of Russians believe that CSOs can help improve the system if they monitor the work of social protection institutions. 38% said that CSOs could fulfil an “articulating” role, i.e. identifying the real needs of socially vulnerable groups and bringing them to the attention of the authorities.
Some respondents said that CSOs can attract volunteers to the sector, as well as financial donations (37% and 34% respectively). 21% of Russians believe that CSOs are most effective when they inform the public about the valuable work being undertaken by social protection institutions.
“CSO leaders are much less likely than the public to rate the social security system as bad (23%), although only 16% said it was good, leaning towards satisfactory”, said Irina Mersiyanova, Director of the Centre for Civil Society and Non-Profit Sector Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
