Relevance and problems of rural areas gasification in the Vologda oblast based on population estimates

In the context of ensuring a balanced spatial and sustainable socio-economic development of Russia, the authorities and the scientific community pay special attention to improving the quality of life and living standards of the rural population and to the development of the rural economy. It is impossible to solve these problems without modernization and improvement of engineering, transport and social infrastructure of the Russian settlement. At the same time, one of the most acute infrastructure problems today is the low level of gasification of settlements. The article, considering the results of the sociological survey of the Vologda Oblast residents, substantiates the high social significance of the network gasification of rural areas and updates the information about the main problems in this field. We have revealed that in the case of gasification in the period 2021-2030, more than 50% of the residents of municipal districts of the Oblast will use pipeline gas for cooking, heating water, houses and non-residential premises. We determined that the main problems in the use of domestic (network and cylinder) gas for the population are high gas tariffs and the high cost of connecting the house to the gas supply system. In the work we applied the monographic method, methods of comparative analysis and synthesis of the obtained information, analogy, table and graphical data visualization techniques. The results of the study can be used by the authorities to improve the policy of socio-economic development, when substantiating the relevance, developing and implementing projects of rural areas gasification in the Oblast, as well as researchers and other stakeholders in the development of certain aspects of the research topics.