Social Well-Being and Expectations of the Youth in the Industrial Region

The article covers the social expectations of young people in a large industrial region of Russia in relation to their social well-being. The information framework of the article consists of results of a sample study conducted by the sociologists of Ural Federal University supervised by Yu. R. Vishnevsky in 2016 in the Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk oblasts. The survey sample includes 2,512 people aged 15-30, target quota sample was used, with quota signs such as employment (working, studying, and unemployed youth), age (young people of three age groups - under 20, 21-25, and 26-30) and type of settlement (residents of Ekaterinburg, other large cities in the region, medium or small towns, villages and urban-type settlements). The present paper raises the problem of studying the social well-being of young people, with a key factor being their focus on the future, their expectations and life strategies. Based on analysis of scientific concepts devoted to the population's social well-being, an important feature of the youth as a socio-demographic group is revealed: their focus on the future and a vast planning horizon. A reasonable assumption is put forward, which is partially confirmed by the survey results: the social well-being of young people largely depends on the established image of the future and assessment of their life prospects. Respondents confident in their future tend to be more positive about the present. Based on the survey data groups of young people are classified in terms of their attitude towards their life prospects: "the nowists" ("now"), "the optimistic", "the pessimistic" and "the patient". The problem of discussion the authors identify for the in the future is the following: young people with a clear image of their future who arrange their lives according to their life strategies demonstrate a better ability to social adaptation.