Attitudes of St. Petersburg Residents towards the Social Service System

Abstract

The analysis of changes in the system of social services and assistance to the population in the context of the development of the Russian social state and the unstable conditions of this development is an important scientific problem. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the development of virtual communication both between recipients of social services and their providers and, more generally, between citizens and the state. Digitalization of social services, emergence of small and medium-­sized social enterprises, inclusion of socially oriented non-profit organizations in official registers of social service providers and other innovations indicate changes in the social service system at the federal and regional levels. The purpose of this study was to examine current trends in the development of the social service system with a focus on public opinion analysis. An online survey of digital users was an important methodological component of this study in connection with the authors’ study of new forms of social services, including the digitalization of social services. The sociological research was conducted by means of river sampling, formed by means of a survey announcement in the most popular social network VKontakte in St. Petersburg (705 respondents). The results of the survey were supported by the analysis of in-depth interviews with representatives of social services. There is a low awareness of St. Petersburg residents about new forms of social services. There is a tendency to develop digital forms of receiving services and the need to create 'hotlines' of social assistance. A problem field for the expansion of social services remains the issue of public confidence in the system as a whole and in its individual actors. The level of trust in NGOs and social enterprises is low compared to the public sector. However, the practice of volunteering and mutual assistance evokes a positive response from respondents, this can be taken into account in the development of grant programs to support the non-state social sector.