Social Wellbeing of Elderly People in Russia

Abstract

This paper describes the results of the research in the field of measurement and evaluation of the elderly’s social wellbeing. The main characteristics of international methods for evaluating older people’s wellbeing are critically discussed. The paper also contains some preliminary results of the sociological survey on wellbeing of the elderly conducted in Tomsk city (Siberia, Russia). Social factors, such as communication with other people, family care, providing support for friends and neighbours play the most important role in social wellbeing of elderly population. The lack of social connectedness is a key reason for life dissatisfaction among large proportion of the elderly in Russia. We have found bilateral correlation between subjective life satisfaction and willingness to help other people: happier elderly people are more likely to help even outside families; people providing help are more likely to be happier in general compared to those who don not. Income also correlates positively with the readiness to help. The research is based on the OECD, European Social Survey, National statistics of the UK, Active Ageing Index databases as well as articles and monographs and the results of sociological survey of Tomsk elderly population.