EMOTIONAL BACKGROUND OF THE RUSSIAN SOCIETY IN 1993-2012 YEARS

Abstract

The type of mood prevailing in society and reflecting the overall attitude of the population towards the surroundings underlies the emotional background of society. Representative opinion polls allow identifying the overriding sentiment among the population. The coefficients of public mood, life satisfaction and the subjective assessment of real-life situation that were derived from opinion poll data, provided the framework for the aggregate of society’s emotional background. The obtained coefficients and the aggregate allow making the conclusion that the society’s emotional background had been rather negative until 2006, and became rather positive after 2006. Since 1993 the society’s emotional background has not fallen below the absolutely negative level and has not risen above the absolutely positive level. In addition, another two indicators characterising the population sentiments, i.e. the coefficients of economic optimism and confidence in the future, are considered. Their dynamics corresponds to the dynamics of the indicator of society’s emotional background.