Public opinion as an indicator of the state management efficiency

The municipal level plays a particularly important role in improving the efficiency of public administration due to the fact that the local government is close to real needs of the residents and to specificity of socio-economic development of the territory. The effectiveness of state management can be evaluated in the basis of the public opinion monitoring, conducted by the Institute of Socio- Economic Development of Territories of RAS. The aim of the research, which results are presented in the article, is to study the factors that shape public opinion of municipalities’ residents. To achieve the goal the authors solve several tasks: identify general tendencies of public opinion in various territories of the region, features of perception of the political, social and economic situation, social well-being of the residents and specific judgments of urban district residents. The methods, such as comparative, statistical, analysis and synthesis, are used in the study. Scientific novelty of the research lies in the study of public opinion in different areas of the Vologda Oblast on the basis of sociological monitoring of the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of RAS. For this purpose, the authors have elaborated the method that helps rank districts by key indicators of public opinion. They use the latest annual survey data (for 2014). The authors make several conclusions. The general trends common to most municipalities in the region refer to the political sphere (negative dynamics of judgments about the political situation in Russia, the increasing level of approval). The assessments in cities are more positive than in villages due to a higher level and quality of life of citizens. At the same time, cities are characterized by a higher level of protest potential due to a higher level of needs and greater potential of citizens’ public activity. Public opinion of residents of the Vologda Oblast municipalities is influenced by both socio-economic (socio-economic situation, financial situation of the population) and political (foreign policy - has become acute in 2014, domestic -both federal and municipal government levels) factors. Thus, the public opinion monitoring conducted by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of RAS helps determine the specificity of public opinion in different areas and, consequently, adjust the authorities’ activity in accordance with actual needs of the residents.