Problems of civil society development: experience of sociological surveys at the regional level

Civil society - the type of social integration of citizens to achieve common objectives based on voluntary participation, self-organization, cooperation, the equality of rights of participants. Scientific analysis of regular patterns, trends and perspectives of civil society is one of the most important problems of sociology. The purpose of the research, the results of which presented in this article is to analyze the problems of formation of civil society at the regional level. The basic criterion for the condition of civil society is the public opinion. Therefore, the research is based on the public surveys, carried out by the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The study has showed that the civil society in the Vologda region is in the period of formation. Its main problems are: 1) social (lack of interpersonal confidence, absence of responsibility for what is happening outside the family, disbelief in the possibility of influencing the processes in the country, region, place of residence, the low level of social activity and credibility of non-profit organizations population, etc.); 2) legal (imperfect legal system);3) organizational and economic (weak resource base of non-profit sector). At the same time, the development of civil society has a potential. For its realization, there are two directions: 1) to establish the mechanisms of interaction of the state and non-profit organizations (expanding the list of organizations having a right to receive state support, simplification of non-profit organizations reporting, expansion of its competence, etc.); 2) to stimulate direct public demand for the activities of non-profit organizations.