Structure and dynamics of household consumption of information goods: regional perspective

Over the past two decades, the indicators of consumption of information goods by the Russian population have been significantly behind the similar indicators in developed countries, which was accompanied by inequality in consumption between Russian regions. The importance of studying consumption of information goods in information economy is due to the fact that the degree of satisfactionofneedsreflectsthelevelofpopulation'swelfareandisanindicatorofinnovativedevelopment which defines the incentives and constraints of modernization and long-term sustainable growth of the national economy. The article is devoted to contemporary structural changes in consumption of auxiliary information goods by the population of a dynamically developing region (the Sverdlovsk Oblast) amid the development of information economy. The use of methods of economic-statistical analysis and sociological survey has helped identify the structure and main trends in consumption of information goods in Russia in general and in the Sverdlovsk Oblast in particular. The article reviews the impact of factors such as consumers' age group, place of residence (town, village) and income level on household consumption of goods in the Sverdlovsk Oblast.