Population on the role of family and society in providing support to children and the elderly: recent trends

On the data from special household surveys (2004, 2007, 2011) the authors present the changes in the population’s opinion on the participation of family and society (state) in upbringing children and providing support to the elderly. They show that, despite the intensive erosion of the social role of the institute of family, most Russians share the traditional view concerning care for children and the elderly, but they believe that financial assistance to the poor should be provided by the state. At the same time, more and more people claim that the state system of social services should help family in a tight situation connected with the presence of family members incapable of attending to themselves.