Development trends of social protection in the context of certain categories of the population

The relevance of the work is due to the need to systematize modern changes in the field of social protection in relation to certain categories of beneficiaries. The empirical basis of the study consists of materials from an expert online survey of 28 representatives of academic science from 19 Russian cities. The analysis made it possible to draw a number of conclusions. In recent years, priority beneficiary categories have included families with children, elderly citizens, and people with disabilities. Social assistance/support and social services have become the predominant social protection mechanisms that have seen active development in recent years. The urgent need to increase the birth rate has given priority to monetary measures based on the mechanism of social assistance and support implemented at the federal level in relation to families with children. The state has identified social services at the regional level as the key mechanism for meeting the needs of elderly citizens and people with disabilities. Solving the problem of low pensions for elderly citizens and people with disabilities, based on the application of mechanisms of social insurance and social security, requires additional financial resources and changes in legal regulations at the federal level, which are currently unattainable in the near future. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that the development of social protection measures in recent years has been oriented not only towards the needs of beneficiaries but also towards the necessity of swiftly addressing issues relevant to the state. This necessitates the selection of appropriate social protection mechanisms and sources of resource provision for the measures undertaken.