On the relevance of the issue of the role of trust in forming social health of Russian society

The increasing role of human capital as a factor in the modern economy brings to a new level the question of preserving and improving people’s health. At the same time, among various types of health, social health deserves special attention, which is associated with the specific characteristics of the modern historical stage of world civilization, in particular, with the strengthening of the role of non-economic, subjective factors in social development. Depending on the theoretical approach to understanding the essence of social health, its level may reflect different indicators. In particular (from the point of view of the sociological approach) these indicators can include parameters characterizing the degree of social activity of the population, as well as the closely related level of interpersonal and institutional trust. The paper presents the results of a long-term study of the dynamics of the relevant indicators. The goal of the study is to determine the degree of relevance of trust in the formation of social health for the Russian Federation in comparison with leading countries of Europe and the world. At the same time, it should be noted that the frontier of the modern historical period imposes a special responsibility on the key participants of geopolitical competition, because they should initiate the response of mankind to the global challenges of the future. The empirical base of the study includes data from international (The European Social Survey, Edelman Trust Barometer) and regional (monitoring of public opinion conducted by Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences) surveys. The results obtained allow us to speak about the low level of trust in Russian society, which is due to a number of reasons and has a negative impact on the state of social health, acts as a barrier in the implementation of national development priorities set out by the President in his Address to the Federal Assembly in 2018.