Well-being of the older generation in the context of regional social policy
Research Article
Acknowledgments
The reported study was funded by RSF within the scientific project No. 23–78–10128. URL: https://rscf.ru/project/23-78-10128/.
How to Cite
Belekhova G.V., Shmatova Y.E., Natsun L.N., Soloveva T.S. Well-being of the older generation in the context of regional social policy. Population. 2024. Vol. 27. No. 3. P. 180-192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24412/1561-7785-2024-3-180-192 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The global aging of the population is one of the main demographic trends of our time. Taking into account the irreversibility of the situation as concerns the population reproduction reducing in Russia, public authorities’ efforts to maintain the potential of older people’s resources and create conditions for healthy and active aging of people are logical. These efforts are reflected in various programs and strategic documents. Therefore, it is important to understand how the government’s current policy concerning older citizens meets their needs and expectations. Within the framework of the article, this goal is achieved by comparing the characteristics of the socio-economic situation for older people, identified through a long-term sociological research, with the goals and objectives of the regional project «Older Generation» (using the example of Vologda Oblast). The key challenges affecting the well-being of older people are highlighted: health problems in the form of chronic diseases that may lead to reduction of social interaction; a wide gender gap in life expectancy and prevalence of social isolation; low levels of material well-being, dissatisfaction with different aspects of life, and reduced emotional and psychological well-being. The study shows that the comprehensive program implemented in the region is aimed at improving the quality of life of older people by addressing their health problems, maintaining their social activity, but it takes less account of the issues related to the material well-being and negative social stereotypes about this category of population. In conclusion the authors stress the necessity of adjusting the activities of the regional project «The Older Generation» with the account of the identified shortcomings.
Keywords:
demographic ageing, older generation, well-being of the older generation, public policies concerning elderly people
References
1. Elyutina M. E. Kontseptual’naya metafora starosti [The conceptual metaphor of old age]. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii [The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. 2023. Vol. 26. No. 2. P. 231–248. DOI: 10.31119/jssa.2023.26.2.10 (in Russ.)
2. Barysheva G. A., Klemasheva E. I., Malanina V. A., et al. Aktivnoje blagopoluchije starshego pokoleniya: dolgoletije i vovlechonnost’ v regional’nyj sotsium [Active Well-Being of the Older Generation: Longevity and Involvement in Regional Society]. Tomsk. 2019. 136 р. (in Russ.)
3. Vasilieva E. V. Kontseptsiya aktivnogo dolgoletiya: vozmozhnosti i ogranicheniya realizatsii v Rossii [The Concept of Active Longevity: Opportunities and Limitations of Realization in Russia]. Ed. Yu. G. Lavrikova. Ekaterinburg. Institut ekonomiki UrO RAN [Institute of Economics of the Ural Branch RAS]. 2022. 190 р. (in Russ.)
4. Kalachikova O. N., Natsun L. N. Sotsial’no-demograficheskije predposylki realizatsii kontseptsii aktivnogo dolgoletiya v Rossii [Perception of aging in demographic groups of the population as a social context for the implementation of the active longevity concept]. Vestnik Nizhegorodskogo universiteta imeni N. I. Lobachevskogo. Seriya: Sotsial’nyje nauki [Vestnik of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod. Series: Social Sciences]. 2022. No. 2(66). P. 112–125. (in Russ.)
5. Kas’yanova T. I., Voronina L. I., Zaitseva E. V. Aktivnoje dolgoletije: vozmozhnosti, zhiznennyje ustanovki i sotsial’nyje praktiki pozhilykh [Active longevity: opportunities, life attitudes and social practices of elderly]. Sotsial’noje prostranstvo [Social Area]. 2023. Vol. 9. No. 2. Available at: http://socialarea-journal.ru/article/29642?_lang=en (Accessed: 10 February 2024). DOI: 10.15838/sa.2023.2.38.3 (in Russ.)
6. Il’in V. A., Markin V. V., Golenkova Z. T., et al. Rossiiskoje obshchestvo: transformatsii v regional’nom diskurse (itogi 20-letnikh izmerenii) [Russian Society: Transformations in Regional Discourse (results of 20-year measurements)]. Vologda. ISERT [Vologda Research Center RAS]. 2015. 446 p. (in Russ.)
7. Antonov A. I., Nazarova I. B., Karpova V. M., Lyalikova S. V. Porog nastuplenija starosti: obektivnyje priznaki i subektivnoje vosprijatije [Threshold of old age: objective signs and subjective perception]. Narodonaselenie [Population]. 2023. Vol. 26. No. 3. Р. 131–143. DOI: 10.19181/population.2023.26.3.11 (in Russ.)
8. Kislitsyna O. A. Izmerenije kachestva zhizni / blagopoluchiya: mezhdunarodnyi opyt [Measuring Quality of Life / Well-Being: International Experience]. Moscow. Institut ekonomiki RAN [Institute of Economics RAS]. 2016. 62 p. Available at: https://inecon.org/docs/Kislitsyna_paper_20160404.pdf (in Russ.)
9. Havighurst R. J. Successful aging. Processes of Aging: Social and Psychological Perspectives. Eds. R. H. Williams, C. Tibbitts, W. Donohue. New York. Atherton Press. 1963. P. 299–320.
10. Baltes P. B., Baltes M. M. Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. Successful Aging: Perspectives from the Behavioural Sciences. Eds. P. B. Baltes, M. M. Baltes. New York. Cambridge University Press. 1990. P. 1–34.
11. Kerschner H., Pegues J. A. Productive aging: a quality of life agenda. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 1998. Vol. 98. Iss. 12. P. 1445–1448. DOI: 10.1016/S0002-8223(98)00327-7
12. Parfenova O. A., Galkin K. A. Sotsial’naya aktivnost’ i uchastiyje pozhilykh rossiyan v kontekste aktivnogo dolgoletiya [Social activity and participation of older Russians in the context of active ageing]. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii [The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. 2023. Vol. 26. No. 1. P. 200–223. DOI: 10.31119/jssa.2023.26.1.8 (in Russ.)
13. Dobrokhleb V. G. Demograficheskoje starenije v Rossii i novaja sotsial’naja real’nost’ [Demographic aging in Russia and new social reality]. Narodonaselenie [Population]. 2022. Vol. 25. No. 2. P. 66–76. DOI: 10.19181/population.2022.25.2.6 (in Russ.)
14. Grigoryeva I. A., Bogdanova E. A. Kontseptsija aktivnogo starenija v Jevrope i Rossii pered litsom pandemii COVID-19 [The Concept of Active Aging in Europe and Russia in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic]. Laboratorium: zhurnal sotsial’nykh issledovanij [Laboratorium: Russian Review of Social Research]. 2020. Vol. 12. No. 2. P. 187–211. DOI: 10.25285/2078-1938-2020-12-2-187-211 (in Russ.)
15. Sushko P. E. Dinamika pokazatelej subektivnogo sotsial’nogo blagopoluchija rossijan (2003–2023) [Dynamics of indicators of subjective social well-being of Russians (2003–2023)]. Sotsiologicheskije issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2023. No. 12. P. 59–71. DOI: (in Russ.)
16. Sedykh O. G., Gulyaeva A. I. Problema odinochestva lits pozhilogo vozrasta: sotsiologicheskij aspekt [The problem of loneliness of elderly people: a sociological aspect]. Izvestiya Baikal’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of Baikal State University]. 2022. Vol. 32. No. 1. P. 144–152. DOI: 10.17150/2500-2759.2022.32(1).144-152 (In Russ.)
2. Barysheva G. A., Klemasheva E. I., Malanina V. A., et al. Aktivnoje blagopoluchije starshego pokoleniya: dolgoletije i vovlechonnost’ v regional’nyj sotsium [Active Well-Being of the Older Generation: Longevity and Involvement in Regional Society]. Tomsk. 2019. 136 р. (in Russ.)
3. Vasilieva E. V. Kontseptsiya aktivnogo dolgoletiya: vozmozhnosti i ogranicheniya realizatsii v Rossii [The Concept of Active Longevity: Opportunities and Limitations of Realization in Russia]. Ed. Yu. G. Lavrikova. Ekaterinburg. Institut ekonomiki UrO RAN [Institute of Economics of the Ural Branch RAS]. 2022. 190 р. (in Russ.)
4. Kalachikova O. N., Natsun L. N. Sotsial’no-demograficheskije predposylki realizatsii kontseptsii aktivnogo dolgoletiya v Rossii [Perception of aging in demographic groups of the population as a social context for the implementation of the active longevity concept]. Vestnik Nizhegorodskogo universiteta imeni N. I. Lobachevskogo. Seriya: Sotsial’nyje nauki [Vestnik of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod. Series: Social Sciences]. 2022. No. 2(66). P. 112–125. (in Russ.)
5. Kas’yanova T. I., Voronina L. I., Zaitseva E. V. Aktivnoje dolgoletije: vozmozhnosti, zhiznennyje ustanovki i sotsial’nyje praktiki pozhilykh [Active longevity: opportunities, life attitudes and social practices of elderly]. Sotsial’noje prostranstvo [Social Area]. 2023. Vol. 9. No. 2. Available at: http://socialarea-journal.ru/article/29642?_lang=en (Accessed: 10 February 2024). DOI: 10.15838/sa.2023.2.38.3 (in Russ.)
6. Il’in V. A., Markin V. V., Golenkova Z. T., et al. Rossiiskoje obshchestvo: transformatsii v regional’nom diskurse (itogi 20-letnikh izmerenii) [Russian Society: Transformations in Regional Discourse (results of 20-year measurements)]. Vologda. ISERT [Vologda Research Center RAS]. 2015. 446 p. (in Russ.)
7. Antonov A. I., Nazarova I. B., Karpova V. M., Lyalikova S. V. Porog nastuplenija starosti: obektivnyje priznaki i subektivnoje vosprijatije [Threshold of old age: objective signs and subjective perception]. Narodonaselenie [Population]. 2023. Vol. 26. No. 3. Р. 131–143. DOI: 10.19181/population.2023.26.3.11 (in Russ.)
8. Kislitsyna O. A. Izmerenije kachestva zhizni / blagopoluchiya: mezhdunarodnyi opyt [Measuring Quality of Life / Well-Being: International Experience]. Moscow. Institut ekonomiki RAN [Institute of Economics RAS]. 2016. 62 p. Available at: https://inecon.org/docs/Kislitsyna_paper_20160404.pdf (in Russ.)
9. Havighurst R. J. Successful aging. Processes of Aging: Social and Psychological Perspectives. Eds. R. H. Williams, C. Tibbitts, W. Donohue. New York. Atherton Press. 1963. P. 299–320.
10. Baltes P. B., Baltes M. M. Psychological perspectives on successful aging: The model of selective optimization with compensation. Successful Aging: Perspectives from the Behavioural Sciences. Eds. P. B. Baltes, M. M. Baltes. New York. Cambridge University Press. 1990. P. 1–34.
11. Kerschner H., Pegues J. A. Productive aging: a quality of life agenda. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 1998. Vol. 98. Iss. 12. P. 1445–1448. DOI: 10.1016/S0002-8223(98)00327-7
12. Parfenova O. A., Galkin K. A. Sotsial’naya aktivnost’ i uchastiyje pozhilykh rossiyan v kontekste aktivnogo dolgoletiya [Social activity and participation of older Russians in the context of active ageing]. Zhurnal sotsiologii i sotsialnoy antropologii [The Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. 2023. Vol. 26. No. 1. P. 200–223. DOI: 10.31119/jssa.2023.26.1.8 (in Russ.)
13. Dobrokhleb V. G. Demograficheskoje starenije v Rossii i novaja sotsial’naja real’nost’ [Demographic aging in Russia and new social reality]. Narodonaselenie [Population]. 2022. Vol. 25. No. 2. P. 66–76. DOI: 10.19181/population.2022.25.2.6 (in Russ.)
14. Grigoryeva I. A., Bogdanova E. A. Kontseptsija aktivnogo starenija v Jevrope i Rossii pered litsom pandemii COVID-19 [The Concept of Active Aging in Europe and Russia in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic]. Laboratorium: zhurnal sotsial’nykh issledovanij [Laboratorium: Russian Review of Social Research]. 2020. Vol. 12. No. 2. P. 187–211. DOI: 10.25285/2078-1938-2020-12-2-187-211 (in Russ.)
15. Sushko P. E. Dinamika pokazatelej subektivnogo sotsial’nogo blagopoluchija rossijan (2003–2023) [Dynamics of indicators of subjective social well-being of Russians (2003–2023)]. Sotsiologicheskije issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2023. No. 12. P. 59–71. DOI: (in Russ.)
16. Sedykh O. G., Gulyaeva A. I. Problema odinochestva lits pozhilogo vozrasta: sotsiologicheskij aspekt [The problem of loneliness of elderly people: a sociological aspect]. Izvestiya Baikal’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Bulletin of Baikal State University]. 2022. Vol. 32. No. 1. P. 144–152. DOI: 10.17150/2500-2759.2022.32(1).144-152 (In Russ.)
Article
Received: 11.03.2024
Accepted: 25.09.2024
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Belekhova, G. V., Shmatova, Y. E., Natsun, L. N., & Soloveva, T. S. (2024). Well-being of the older generation in the context of regional social policy. Population, 27(3), 180-192. https://doi.org/10.24412/1561-7785-2024-3-180-192
Section
ECONOMIC BEHAVIOR OF POPULATION
