The reform of social benefits in public opinion of the Russians

Abstract

The author analyzes public opinion of Russian population concerning the outcomes of the reforms known as «monetization». The all-Russian surveys conducted by the Public Opinion Fund, as well as the materials of focus-groups during 2004-2006 show certain contradictions of the reforms and a high level of protest mobilization of the Russians. In spite of some decrease of social protests in 2006, the level of dissatisfaction by the new legislation is still rather high in the society. This may have negative impact on further reforms of housing policy, education and health care, on the one hand, and contribute to the development of new forms of collective action and dialogue between the state and the society.