Digital well-being of the region's population: approaches to assessment

The impact of digitalization processes on modern society is hard to overestimate. They can be a source of tangible benefi ts, greatly simplifying life and improving its quality, and also carry serious risks. However, this product of human civilization and its natural evolution, regardless of refl ection, will be part of our lives for a long time to come. In this regard, it is important to observe the impact of new technologies on society and the economy. The article attempts to address the concept of digital well-being of the population, which is considered from the perspective of sociocultural development. The manuscript is devoted to the search of methodological foundations for evaluating its level for Russian regions. In order to develop the author’s methodology, a search and analysis of complex methodologies satisfying the research request was carried out. Their strengths and weaknesses are identifi ed, approaches to the selection and standardization of indicators and technologies for obtaining indices are considered in detail. As a result, an algorithm for constructing the author’s index of digital well-being, which takes into account four main parameters: the Internet access, digital literacy, the integration of digital technology in everyday life and the work of social institutions (on the example of education and culture). The testing was conducted on the regions of Russia in 2015, 2018, and 2019. The results of the calculations show that Russian regions are signifi cantly differentiated by the levels of digital well-being of the population residing in them, but there are also positive changes, consisting in the increase of the group of territories with an aboveaverage level. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for reducing digital inequalities in order to improve people’s well-being are made.