The multinational composition of the population, the historical characteristics of the formation of ethnic groups and the vast territory predetermine significant social contrasts between the territories of the Russian Federation. The birth rate between Russian regions differs by 3 times, wages and crime rates - 10 times, unemployment - 25 times, life expectancy differs by 20 years. At the same time, the leadership of the regions in some groups of social indicators is usually combined with a lag in others, which does not allow making an unambiguous division of regions into leading and lagging regions.
At the same time, among Russian regions, one can distinguish types and groups characterized by common social problems and strengths.
Two basic types of regions were identified, conventionally called "modernist" and "traditionalist", the differences between which are of a deep, long-term nature.
Type of modernist regions
The modernist type includes the regions of the European part of Russia, the main part of the regions of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, as well as some regions in the Volga region and in the south of the country. They are characterized by the predominance of Slavic (mainly Russian) ethnic groups. Less often, there are inclusions of other assimilated low-religious ethnic groups, also oriented towards the Western way of life (,). The bulk of the population in most regions of this type lives in cities.
The population of these regions leads a lifestyle characterized by a high level of real secularization, the dominance of such values as education and career, with the degradation of family institutions. Distinctive social features of "modernist" regions are extremely low, insufficient even for simple replacement of generations, fertility, high divorce rate. At the same time, these regions are usually characterized by a higher level of development of social infrastructure (educational institutions, hospitals, sports and recreation organizations). The society in them is distinguished by a low potential for social conflict; in most cases, the population is characterized by an increased educational level and level of material well-being (high wages, low unemployment).
Some of the "modernist" regions can be distinguished into special groups.
The first is formed by the regions - “economic leaders”. These are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra.
The development of productive forces, the economic well-being of the branches of economic activity prevailing in the regions ensure a high level of well-being of the local population, the revenues of regional budgets make it possible to ensure a high quality of social infrastructure. The per capita income of the population of the mentioned regions is 1.5-3 times higher than the national average; they have a relatively low unemployment rate and the lowest infant mortality rates, indicating a high quality level of medical care. Thanks to advances in the social sphere, the regions of this group turned out to be the center of attraction for migrants from other parts of the country, as well as immigrants from other countries, which predetermines a more prosperous demographic situation in comparison with other regions belonging to the “modernist” type.
At the same time, a negative feature of these regions is a high price level and a sharp stratification of the population by income level. In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, where the country's highest indicators of the level of well-being are observed, leadership in certain areas of social development is not sustainable in the long term and is predetermined by their successful specialization for a given period of time in the most highly profitable spheres of economic activities - oil and gas production.
Moscow's leading positions in a number of indicators of social and economic development are also sustainable. They are determined by the advantages of the concentration of scientific, educational, financial and managerial potential in the largest cities, which are traditional for a large and not characterized by a high level of development of the country's productive forces.
The second group unites depressive territories, which include the Primorsky Territory, Altai Territory, Transbaikal Territory, Ivanovo, Kurgan Regions, in which the social situation as a whole is noticeably worse than in other "modernist" regions.
According to their geographic location, most of these territories are gaps or "bear corners" - they, as a rule, are removed from the largest urban agglomerations and sales markets, the transport infrastructure within them is poorly developed. The unfavorable social situation in these territories is associated with a weak level of economic development - the industry is not developed or is in decline, local budgets are formed mainly through subsidies from the federal center. In a number of regions, the unfavorable sectoral structure established in Soviet times remains; dominated by non-competitive on the scale of the world economy industries, for example, the textile industry in the Ivanovo region.
The lagging behind these regions in terms of the level of the population's well-being is especially great. Thus, in 2005, the share of residents living below the poverty line ranged from 25.5% in the Altai Territory to 43% in the Ivanovo Region, while the national average was 16.5%. Material distress and high unemployment rates exacerbate the problems of alcoholism and crime in these regions, which leads to a decrease in life expectancy. Over time (with a change in the degree of development and regional specialization), individual regions may leave or fall into the list of depressed territories.
Traditionalist region type
Most of the regions of the North Caucasus, some regions and Siberia with a predominantly non-Slavic population can be classified as traditionalist. In contrast to the “modernist” regions, the “traditionalist” ones largely preserve the traditional way of life, which presupposes a high degree of religiosity, a stable institution of the family, and family labor outside industrial enterprises. With some exceptions, regions belonging to the "traditionalist" type are characterized by a higher birth rate than the national average, as well as an increased (30% or more) share of people living in rural areas. At the same time, the level of development of productive forces in most regions of this type is much lower than the national average, which causes them to lag significantly behind in terms of material well-being and unemployment, and this, in turn, is the outflow of the population to “modernist” regions. In addition, the heterogeneous national and confessional composition and the low level of efficiency of the bureaucratic system determine the high potential for conflicts on ethnic and religious grounds.
All regions of the "traditionalist" type can be divided into groups. The first is a group of territories - national autonomies. It includes national formations, small in terms of population, usually with a predominance of a non-Slavic population, located on the periphery of economic activity in sparsely populated areas with an underdeveloped economy and infrastructure. These are the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Altai Republic, the Tyva Republic, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Many of the characteristics characteristic of "traditionalist" regions are especially pronounced in them. In 2005, in the regions, the share of the population living below the poverty line exceeded 30%; they were characterized by a particularly strong lag in terms of the level of social infrastructure development. These regions traditionally have the highest infant mortality rates in the country. In addition to this, the most acute problem here is the spread of drunkenness, which is exacerbated by the genetically predetermined instability of most local ethnic groups to alcohol. All this, together with the problem of unemployment, determines the high crime rate.
These reasons determine the low level of physical health of the local population and the lowest life expectancy in the country.
The group of republics of the North Caucasus stands out among the "traditionalist" regions. It includes the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Ingushetia and the Republic of Dagestan, within which the features of the group are especially pronounced, as well as the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. The ethnic groups that make up the basis of the population of these Caucasian republics are highly oriented towards religious (Islamic) values, the institution of the family is relatively stable, and as a result, the demographic situation remains favorable; alcoholism is poorly spread. The latter circumstance leads to high life expectancy in these regions compared to the national average, especially among men. At the same time, the regions of this group are traditionally characterized by a high potential for social conflicts, a weak level of development of social infrastructure, a strong lag in terms of the material well-being of the population.
The core of the groups - the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Ingushetia and the Republic of Dagestan - can be called regions of social contrasts. For example, the Republic of Ingushetia has the highest life expectancy in Russia, where it exceeds the national average by 10 years for the entire population and by 13 years for men. At the same time, this republic is traditionally characterized by the country's worst infant mortality rates. The Chechen Republic leads in the birth rate and natural increase, but at the same time stands out for the worst unemployment rates in the country (74% in 2005).
Regions such as the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatarstan), the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania are in an intermediate position between the "traditionalist" and "modernist" types of regions. This is partly due to the significant number of Slavic ethnic groups (with the exception of the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania, they make up more than a third), another reason is that the indigenous population has largely replaced traditional values with modern ones.
