Strategies for Social Adaptation of the Russian Megapolis Citizens to the Economic Crisis

Abstract

The article presents results of research conducted in the Russian megalopolis of Yekaterinburg. The opinion of citizens of the Russian megalopolis about the current state of Russia, as well as the opinion of the possible duration of the economic crisis in the country has been investigated in this study. Much space is devoted to the social adaptation strategies of the respondents. The research objectives are to explore the problems addressing social adaptation of the population of large cities to the economic crisis in contemporary Russia and to explore the opinion of this population on the duration of the economic crisis in Russia. The research methodology combines qualitative and quantitative methods. Empirical basis of the study includes a series of in-depth interviews and a questionnaire carried out in 2016. The study has revealed that the vast majority of respondents in all age categories are not satisfied with their lives and they believe that Russia is in a deep economic crisis. A basic obstacle preventing people from acquiring feeling of satisfaction of their life is their poor financial situation. At the same time respondents note that the socio-economic situation continued to worsen steadily in the second half of 2015. The study has determined two strategies of social adaptation of this population to an economic crisis. They are a cost reduction strategy related to the satisfaction of basic human needs and a mobilization potential strategy. The vast majority of respondents use the first strategy. Using these strategies allows the population of a megalopolis to provide some adaptive measures to the current economic situation. Refs 27. Tables 4.