Sociological research of households’ income in Karelian Republic

The article covers theoretical basics of Karelian households’ income. The role of contemporary households on the financial system of the state is defined. The structure of the household budget is studied. According to the results of the study the main part of the households’ income is salaries, the second part is pensions. More than 85 % from the total amount of pension payments are old-age pensions. Results obtained during the studied period show that the size of the average per capita income of the population in the Republic of Karelia tends to increase. In 2011, for the first time after the crisis, the households in Karelia preferred spending to saving. The analysis of the expenses’ structure showed that the biggest part of all the money spent by households is consumer expenses. However, despite a relative growth of the expenses in the last two years, the level of the households’ means is rather low. About 86 % of the households in Karelia live above poverty level, though the calculated coefficient of income differentiation is still much lower than the recommended level. The conducted research brings us to a conclusion that despite a certain growth in the income of Karelian households only a half of them can satisfy their current needs.