Evaluating living standards of families with children: analytical capabilities of research studies performed by Rosstat

The article analyzes the possibilities of using data from various surveys conducted by Rosstat to assess the standard of living of families with children. It is important to focus both on objective parameters (primarily income) and on a subjective assessment (degree of income adequacy, satisfaction with living standards, etc.), which may be a more significant determinant of social well-being and behaviour in various spheres of life. The Object of the Study is families with children under the age of 18. The Subject of the Study is the standard of living of families with children under the age of 18. The article discusses both the theoretical and practical aspects of this subject of study. The Theoretical Aspect of the Subject is approaches to an objective and subjective assessment of the standard of living. The Empirical Aspect of the Subject is the differences in objective parameters and the subjective assessment of the standard of living of families depending on the number of children. The Purpose of the Studyis studying differences in the standard of living of families depending on the number of children and assessing the analytical capabilities of its information support using the results of surveys conducted by Rosstat. The article discusses the possibilities of using various indicators, information on which is contained in the data of Rosstat surveys, to assess and analyze differences in the size and structure of income, as well as a subjective assessment of the standard of living in families with different numbers of children. The main attention is paid to the materials “Sampling Observation of Population Income and Participation in Social Programs” (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017), “Comprehensive Observation of Living Conditions of the Population” (2011, 2014 and 2016) and “Sampling Observation of Reproductive Population Plans "2012”. The programs of those surveys are analyzed from the point of view of the possibilities of their use for assessing and analyzing differences in the standard of living of families with different numbers of children. The results of the “Selective Observation of Incomes of the Population and Participation in Social Programs” showed that with a larger number of children under the age of 18 in a family, the average per capita cash income is significantly less. Significant differences in the amount of income from work activity are smoothed to a very small extent by relatively large benefits, compensation and other social payments with a larger number of children in the family. According to the 2012 Selective Observation of the Reproduction Plans of the Population, the difference in the average per capita income depending on the number of children in the family is substantially less than the results of the Selective Observation of Population Incomes and Participation in Social Programs (due to the higher indicated incomes in families with three or more children), and differences in the assessment of living standards are relatively small.