1. Introduction 2

2. Types of sociological research 3

3. Program of sociological research 6

4. Example of a case study 9

5. References 12

Introduction.

Sociology cannot exist without extracting empirical information of the most diverse nature - about the opinion of voters, the leisure of schoolchildren, the president's rating, the family budget, the number of unemployed, the birth rate. First of all, the researcher uses official statistics published in journals, bulletins, and reports. He gets the missing information in a sociological survey, where the subjective opinions of people (respondents) are clarified. Answers are mathematically averaged, generalized data are presented in the form of statistical tables, patterns are displayed and explained. The end result is building scientific theory, which allows you to predict future phenomena and develop practical recommendations.

Sociological research- one of the main ways of developing sociological knowledge, which consists in the conscious concentration of the efforts of an individual researcher (or research team) on limited, more or less strictly defined tasks in advance. Any sociological research is a link that ensures the continuity of sociological knowledge, an element of a research program, tradition or school.

Ultimately, any s.i. driven by the public need for social knowledge, for social orientation, it reflects the public interests of various class, social group, and other forces aimed at asserting or changing the relationship between the individual, social groups, and society. In this regard, s.i. is an integral part of scientific and social progress, it reflects the sociologist's worldview and is conditioned by his social position.

S.i. is kind professional activity people who have received special training, who own the methods and rules research work possessing moral, and often legal rights given to them by society or recognized as such. Moral norms and procedural rules for conducting s.d. are established and supported by the scientific community, here the results of the study receive a final, final assessment. From a methodological point of view, S.I. consists in determining the range of issues to be studied; in the selection, search or development of research methods and procedures.

Types of sociological research.

The arsenal of sociological methods is quite extensive. It includes both general scientific research methods and specially sociological methods. This circumstance puts forward a number of requirements that must be observed when reviewing the methods. First a sine qua non is a set of methods that will allow you to collect the largest amount of information about the object and subject of research. The larger the object, say, some major social phenomenon, the more extensive the information should be and the larger the number of respondents it should cover. Another condition that determines the choice of method is the requirement to reduce the level of subjectivity of estimates. Since all methods of sociology are subjective in the sense that they are associated with information obtained through interpersonal communication, the minimization of subjective content is achieved by using a variety of methods of information retrieval.

empirical research - a system of logically consistent methodological, methodical and organizational-technical procedures, interconnected by a single goal: to obtain reliable data about the phenomenon or process under study for their subsequent use in practice.

Experts believe that there is no single SI scheme suitable for different occasions. The choice of the type of research is dictated by the nature of the goal and the tasks put forward. In other words, the depth of the required analysis social problem, the scope of events.

There are several types of empirical research - according to the criterion laid down in the basis of the classification.

A. Intelligence , descriptive and analytical research - depending on the depth of the analysis of the social problem and the scope of events.

B. Survey, observation, document analysis, experiment – depending on the data collection method used.

polling method.

Among other methods, it occupies one of the leading places. This is due to a number of its advantages. It allows you to get a significant amount of information at once. The collection of information using the survey method is convenient, does not require special material and physical costs. Polling even a large array of respondents is quite simple to implement in technical terms. Attention to the survey method is determined by the fact that verbal information is easy to process, easy to register and has a universal character.

A survey as a way of obtaining certain information has been known for a long time. There is evidence that the first surveys were conducted in the Middle Ages. When entering the city, merchants and other people had to answer questions that, according to their words, were entered into special papers: about the purpose of the visit, about the state of the goods, about the intended location. Varieties of polling documents in Russia have been known since Gogol's time as travel documents.

In scientific sociology, a survey is understood as a method of collecting primary verbal, i.e. conscious in speech, information based on direct (interview) or indirect (questionnaire) interaction between the researcher and the respondent (respondent).

According to the method of obtaining information, the survey is divided into questioning and interviewing. According to the technique of action - on mail and telephone .

Questionnaire- a written face-to-face or correspondence survey, mostly of a closed type. Interviewing is an oral, face-to-face survey, mostly of an open type. Questionnaire and interview data can be obtained by telephone. In the practice of sociological research, postal surveys are also carried out. Recently, due to the emergence of new technical possibilities, the Internet is used to obtain information.

documentary method .

Other methods often used in sociology include the analysis of documentation.

Among the research methods of sociology, the analysis of documentation is traditionally used. When describing a problem situation, determining the object and subject of research, this method is the leading one.

V modern sociology documentary method occupies a significant place. This is due to the fact that despite the complexity of searching for documents, their systematization, the material obtained makes it possible to collect documented information that is quite convenient for analysis. Not the last role is played by the fact that in our country a rather extensive system of collecting and storing documents has developed.

Observation method .

Among the others sociological methods collection of social information, the method of observation is distinguished by a number of features that allow you to predetermine the scope of its application. With the help of this method, the process of social mutual influence of people, the impact on the audience of various forms of propaganda, art, and mass communication is studied. The method of observation is the leading one in the study of personality, human behavior, his manners, forms of communication with people.

The method of observation in sociology is used both to obtain a general scientific understanding of the social situation, the social climate in the studied society, and to register and analyze individual social phenomena. The essence of this method lies in the fact that the researcher receives information and material for further analysis through direct perception of the observed phenomena and the behavior of individuals - carriers of social information.

Observation happens:

· Non-systematic (episodic). When this method of collecting information acts as an additional.

· Systematic. It is carried out over a long period or at periodic intervals.

· Not included- observation from the outside, when the researcher does not become an equal participant in the activities of the observed group, and the group, as a rule, knows about the experiment being carried out.

· Included. When the researcher is within the study group, and the group may or may not be aware of the study being conducted. In this case, the researcher assumes the role of a member of the study group. Depending on whether his position is known to the researcher or not, the observation is considered open, or conducted incognito.

Experiment.

This is such a method of research, in the process of which we create or seek the conditions necessary or sufficient for the manifestation or measurement of the connection of phenomena of interest.

It is this circumstance of “creating” or “search” for circumstances for research that makes the method of experiment very rarely used in sociological practice. Meanwhile experimental method- very productive and effective method obtaining reliable information.

The experiment is:

· Natural(in "live" conditions).

· Laboratory(directly in the laboratory).

B. Spot and repeated - depending on whether the subject of interest to the researcher is studied in statics or in dynamics.

A spot study (one-time) provides information about the state or quantitative characteristics social phenomenon at the time of study. The information obtained in this way does not answer the question about the trends in its change over time.

Repeated studies are a set of several studies carried out according to a single program and tools consistently at certain intervals and designed to obtain results that characterize the dynamics of changes in an object. They are a means of comparative analysis. These include:

· Longitudinal- long-term study of one set of individuals;

· cohort- the study of people of the same age (generation) over a long period of time (goal: analysis of changes in lifestyle, orientation of people of the same generation; objects of study change, but people remain);

· trending- on the same general population with an interval in time and in compliance with a relatively identical methodology (goal: establishing trends (trends) of social change; example: population censuses);

· Panel- research according to a single program and methodology on the same sample at a certain time interval (goal: analysis of the dynamics of events; people can change, but the objects of research - a workshop, an enterprise - remain).

Panel - a set of the same respondents interviewed in the baseline and re-survey. In the second study, these will be people who have matured by 15 years. A pseudo-panel is a set of respondents selected in such a way that in terms of the main parameters (age, education, profession) it resembles the base one, but these are not the same people.

Depending on the goals put forward, the repeated collection of information can take place in 2.3 or more stages. The duration of the time interval between the initial and repeated stages can be very different, since the speed of the social processes themselves is different.

D. Sociometric - a study that studies the specific aspects of a person's behavior, his social orientations, likes and dislikes. This method is leading in the study interpersonal relationships in the team and analysis of the socio-psychological climate in it. It allows you to penetrate into the socio-psychological relationships of individuals, personality and collective.

Program of sociological research.

S.i does not begin at all with the compilation of a questionnaire, as is commonly thought, but with the study of the problem, the advancement of goals and hypotheses, and the construction of a theoretical model. Only then does the sociologist proceed to the development of tools (most often this is really a questionnaire), then the collection of primary data and their processing. And at the final stage - again a theoretical analysis, because the data must be correct, i.e. in accordance with the theory put forward, interpret and explain. Only then do practical recommendations follow.

Today, empirical research is understood as the collection of primary data, carried out according to a certain program and using the rules of scientific inference, which provides the scientist with representative information. The question of how the data was obtained is answered by the TECHNOLOGY (methodology and methods) of data collection, and the data themselves are the result of a research search and the answer to the question of what was obtained in the study. The STRATEGY of empirical research is set by the research program, which includes a theoretical model of the subject of research, an empirical scheme of the object of research, methods and techniques for obtaining data, analysis and interpretation of data, but does not include a scientific report that describes the results.

All stages of the work of a sociologist are reflected in his main document - the PROGRAM OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. It contains a theoretical substantiation of methodological approaches and methodological techniques for studying a particular phenomenon or process. It is neither the beginning nor the end of the study, because is constantly under development.

The main stages of drawing up a program of sociological research:

1. Formulation of the problem;

2. Definition of goals, objectives, object and subject of research;

3. Logical analysis of basic concepts;

4. Putting forward hypotheses;

5. Determination of the sampling population;

6. Compilation of tools;

7. Field survey;

8. Processing and interpretation of the received data;

9. Preparation of a scientific report.

Problem formulation. Conducting research and designing a program begins with the correct formulation of the problem. A social problem is a contradictory situation that exists in its reality, in the life around us, is of a massive nature and affects the interests of large social groups or social institutions. In the process of formulating a research problem, the sociologist seeks to accurately express the PROBLEM SITUATION and at the same time not to give overly broad and abstract definitions. Usually, the initial problem in the course of the study is constantly narrowed and by the time of "entering the field" takes on a clear, complete form. It is advisable to return to the formulation of the problem several times.

The study of several problems within the framework of one study complicates the toolkit and makes it too cumbersome, which in turn reduces the quality of the information collected and the efficiency of the study.

Defining the goal, objectives, object and subject of research. The tasks and objectives of the study can be divided into basic and additional. The main ones involve the search for an answer to its central question: what are the ways and means of solving the problem under study? Additional tasks help to find out the circumstances, factors, causes accompanying the main problem of the study.

The object of study is :

The carrier of this or that social problem;

People or objects capable of giving the sociologist the necessary information.

Most often, the object is a social group.

Subject of study- those aspects and properties of the object that most fully express the problem under study and are subject to study.

Logical analysis of basic concepts. This is a logical structuring of the basic concepts that define the subject of research. It presupposes an exact explanation of the content and structure of the initial concepts, and on this basis, an understanding of the relationship between the properties of the phenomenon under study. Subsequently, it will help to correctly explain the results obtained. The result of such a procedure is TMPI (theoretical model of the subject of research).

Putting forward hypotheses. A hypothesis is a scientific assumption put forward to explain the phenomena and processes under study, which must be confirmed or refuted. Preliminary hypotheses can predetermine the internal logic of the entire research process. They must be precise, specific, clear and only relate to the subject of research.

Sample population definition. The sampling set is a reduced copy of the object of study and is set by it. If the object of study covers tens of thousands of people, then the sample population is hundreds. Therefore, most sociological research has no solid, a selective character: according to strict rules, a certain number of people are selected, reflecting the structure of the object under study by socio-demographic characteristics.

This operation is called sample. The research program carefully describes the design of the sample, which can be refined later.

The design of the sample indicates the principles for selecting from the object that population of people (or other sources of information) that will subsequently be covered by the survey; substantiates the technique of conducting a survey; approaches to determining the reliability of the information received are indicated (it is necessary in order to verify the degree of validity of the distribution of the findings to the entire object of study).

The methodological part of the sociological research program also includes characteristics of methods and techniques for collecting primary information(questionnaire survey, interview, document analysis, observation); the logical structure of the methodological tools used, from which it is clear which characteristics, properties of the subject of research are identified by one or another block of questions; the order of the questions in the toolkit. The toolkit itself is attached to the program as an independent tool. Sometimes this includes logical schemes for processing the collected information, showing the range and depth of data analysis.

When we start building a program of sociological research, the most difficult and important thing that predetermines the overall success is, perhaps, the creation of TMPI.

TMPI- a set of abstract objects representing within itself a single logical whole that describes a problem field that has fallen into the sphere of your theoretical interest.

TMPI is the sociologist's essential guide to the boundless sea of ​​empirical information.

The theoretical model links into a single whole:

One concepts with others;

One facts with others;

· Facts and concepts among themselves.

First of all, it includes abstract concepts that are logically linked to each other. Then they are translated into a set of specific, observable features. So, the central point of development is the creation of a theoretical model.

Let's bring specific example social research as diagnostics and practice.

The American Center for Selective Research under the direction of F. Mann conducted a sociological study at 6 factories and at the central office of a large company. Diagnosis was understood as the process of examining various characteristics of the organization and personnel in order to obtain an accurate description of how things are in the firm. The methodology of diagnostics assumed not only the initial examination of the object, but also the subsequent recheck (re-examination) of the degree of reliability of the data obtained, the establishment of priorities for practical measures.

In this case, the goals were determined by the employees of the center together with the management of the plants and the administration of the company. The initial goals were found to be insufficiently precise, therefore, in order to specify them, they conducted oral interviews and collected written wishes. After that, the scientists adjusted the goals of the study, which were agreed with the trade unions at the next stages.

Ultimately, it turned out that goals are what interests each of the parties. The company was interested in improving the psychological climate and morale of employees, changing people's attitudes and their attitude to work. The trade union wanted to receive a set of practical measures to improve the state of affairs in production. The researchers were interested in variables such as control, communication, efficiency, coordination, technology obsolescence, risk appetite, satisfaction, and organizational change. In the process of long negotiations, mutually acceptable goals were worked out.

The study included several phases.

On the first created a special committee consisting of scientists and managers. It arose after scientists were convinced of its usefulness. It turns out that scientific data can only be truly appreciated by a company if key people in the company are included in the design of the research procedure to the extent that scientific rules allow. The committee drew up a list of issues to be explored, and then, in the course of interviews with staff at various levels of management, it was supplemented and expanded. Trade unions took an active part in the discussion. The scientists translated the ideas and suggestions of the interviewed workers into the language of socio-psychological variables.

Second stage. Summarizing the rich material obtained in the process of collective discussions with the staff, the scientists compiled a questionnaire and a scheme for the main interview. The questions included here were reviewed by the management of the company's production departments and committee members. The approval of the toolkit and its joint development significantly reduced the psychological resistance of management at the stage of discussing various results. Ultimately achieved high degree the professionalism of the study and the confidentiality of respondents' answers.

Third phase- the final stage of the diagnosis. It does not end with an analysis of percentage distributions. Data collection and analysis were carried out according to the standard rules adopted in sociology. The procedure for interpreting data is specific. Since they are focused on achieving a practical effect, the procedure for interpreting data and analyzing the problems identified is a decisive factor, since it is assumed that the results of the study will be used in this particular organization. It is desirable that the discussion be led by the head of the department of the company. It aims staff at the practical use of the results and participation in decision-making.

Thus, an active feedback is established between scientists and staff, which serves as a guarantee of the success of the case. The discussion of the problems identified by scientists stimulated the conference participants to raise new questions that had previously fallen out of sight. Employees accused managers of not delegating their authority to subordinates enough, and they, in turn, pointed to insufficient highly qualified.

Bibliography:

1. A.L. Marshak "Sociology" 2002, 317 pages.

2. A.I. Kravchenko "Sociology in questions and answers" 2003, 354 pages.

3. A.N. Elsukov "Sociology", 2001, 521 pages

Lecture plan:

1. Types of sociological research report.

2. Structure of the sociological research report.

The results of a sociological study are drawn up in the form of a report and annexes to it.

If the study was conducted on the initiative and at the expense of the researchers themselves, then the report is made in the form:

a) qualifying papers (term papers, diploma papers, master's theses, dissertations for degree,

b) publication of a scientific article, monograph,

c) a report at some meeting of sociologists (conference, symposium, congress, etc.).

Planned state budget studies are completed by writing a full report on the work done, including:

research program;

Description of all operations and procedures and each stage of the study;

Extensive applications (samples of all tools, summary tables, diagrams, graphs, etc.).

At the same time, the report is drawn up in full accordance with the requirements of GOST for registration. scientific works(Research report (GOST standard 7.32 - 2001)). The standard establishes general requirements for the structure and rules for the design of scientific and technical reports, as well as rules for those cases where a single registration procedure will facilitate the exchange of information, improving the processing of the report in the information system.

The standard applies to reports on fundamental, search, applied research work (R&D) in all areas of science and technology, carried out by research, design, design organizations, higher educational institutions, research and production and production associations, industrial enterprises and other organizations.

The type of reports for custom research is determined by the contract for its conduct. The customer and sociologists have the right to agree on a report:

In full form (which is extremely rare),

In the form of an analytical note containing conclusions and recommendations (which happens most often),

In any other form between the two above.

It is clear that in different cases the preparation of a report requires different expenditures of time, money, intellectual and creative and technical and design work.

Usually, a sociological research report sets out the research program, the sequence of its implementation, describes the results obtained, calculations, justifications, conclusions and recommendations.

The application contains questionnaires, forms, observation cards, tests, numerical tables, graphic indicators, etc.

The report is an information basis for management decisions and scientific publications.

The nature of the report is determined by the type of research: scientific or applied. The scientific research report carefully formulates the problem, the conceptual scheme of the object, hypotheses, goals and objectives, analyzes the state of scientific development of this problem in previously published works and various conceptual and methodological approaches to it.

Much attention is paid to the description of the methodology, methodology and technique of the study: the typology of the sample and the rationale for its representativeness, methods for collecting primary information and its subsequent processing, and discusses the shortcomings of the toolkit found in the process of working with it. All this is important for further research on this problem and provides a possibility of comparison with the results of other authors.

A separate (main) section is a meaningful analysis of the results obtained. Answers are given to the questions: which of the tasks were solved and to what extent; what tasks are not solved and why; which of the hypotheses are confirmed or refuted; Has the goal been achieved and to what extent?

The report ends with conclusions, practical recommendations and considerations on promising directions for continuing research on this issue. This form of report can also be used in applied research. But the methodological part and the literature review should be significantly reduced. We can limit ourselves to only a brief and popular substantiation of the reliability and representativeness of the data obtained. Attention should be focused on showing the main directions, promising trends, contradictions, "pain points" of the functioning and development of the object, on the conclusions, practical advice, social technology solutions actual problems.

The report for the customer should be concise, accessible in the language of presentation. As a rule, along with a full report, it is advisable to provide the customer with an abstract in which the identified problems are summarized as briefly as possible and ways to resolve them are recommended.

In addition, on the basis of such a report, it is useful to draw up several analytical (informational) notes on individual issues and addressed to various subjects of management.

The most important general requirements for the preparation of the report are:

1. if possible, a complete, consistent presentation of all stages of the study, the logic of scientific research;

2. when writing a report, strictly follow the methodological and methodological apparatus research;

3. in the report, it is important to reflect the logical sequence of the procedures performed, to show the place and role of each of them in the accumulation and interpretation of new knowledge;

An indispensable component of any report is the preparation of recommendations, which are a list of the main proposals arising from the analysis of the reported data.

The recommendations are of an affirmative nature, and only what is to be introduced into scientific or practical activities is included in them. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that, in case of doubt about the correctness or necessity of the recommendations put forward, interested parties should be able to find the necessary justifications in the summary of the report.

References:

1. Smekhnova G.P. Fundamentals of applied sociology. M.: Vuzovsky textbook, 2012. 252 p.

2. Workbook of a sociologist. M., 1983.

3. Yadov V.A. Sociological research: methodology, program, methods. M., 1987.

A research report, usually published in the form of a journal article or book, is an explanation of the nature of the research and contains the rationale for the conclusions drawn. This stage is the last one only in terms of a specific research project. Most of the reports reveal a host of unanswered questions, suggesting further research. Any individual research activities is part of an ongoing research process within the sociological community.

View of the process as a whole

The sequence of steps outlined above is nothing more than a simplified version of what an actual research project might be. In real sociological research, these stages rarely (if ever) follow each other in such a strict order, and some of the work may not be completed at all2 2) Bell S. and Newby H. Doing Sociological Research. London, 1977). This difference is about the same as between recipes in a cookbook and the actual process of preparing a dish. People who are experienced in cooking may not use a recipe book at all, and their actions are often more productive than those who look into it every minute. Following rigid schemes can be extremely restrictive, and much of the outstanding research cannot be easily squeezed into the described sequence.

General methodology

One of critical issues emerging in research methodology (in the study of logical problems associated with the study), is the analysis of causes and effects. Causality between two events or situations is a relationship in which one event or situation gives rise to another. If you release the handbrake while the car is on a hillside, the car will roll downhill, gradually picking up speed. Releasing the brake creates this effect, and the reasons for it can be easily understood by referring to the relevant laws of physics. Like natural sciences, sociology proceeds from the assumption that all events have causes. Social life is not a disorderly mass of events that pass awkwardly and spontaneously. One of the main tasks of sociological research - in combination with theoretical analysis - is to determine the causes and effects.

Causality and correlation

Causality cannot be directly inferred from relationships correlations. Correlation means a stable relationship between two sets of events or variables. A variable is any aspect that characterizes groups and individuals. Age, income differences, crime rates, and social class differences are among the variables studied by sociologists. In the case where two variables are highly correlated, it might seem that one of them must be the cause of the other, but often this is not the case. There are many correlations of variables without any causality between them. For example, after the Second World War in Britain, there is a strong correlation between the decline in pipe smoking and the decline in the number of people who regularly go to the movies. It is clear that one variable is not the cause of the other, and it will not be easy for us to find even a remote causal relationship between them.

However, in many cases it is not so obvious that the observed correlation does not imply causality. Such correlations are a trap for the unwary, and can easily lead to controversial or false conclusions. In his classic work Suicide, Émile Durkheim found a correlation between the number of suicides and the time of year3 3) Durkheim Emil. Suicide: A study in Sociology. London, 1952).

In the societies he studied, suicide rates increased consistently from January to June/July, and then decreased towards the end of the year. It could be assumed that temperature or climatic changes are in a causal relationship with the propensity of individuals to commit suicide. Maybe as the temperature rises, people become more impulsive and hot? However, the causality that exists here has almost nothing to do with temperature or climate. In spring and summer, most people lead a more intense social life, and lonely and unhappy people experience their loneliness more acutely as the level of activity of others increases. Consequently, they are more likely to experience severe suicidal tendencies in the spring and summer than in the winter and fall, when rates social activities weaken. Determining the presence of a causal connection in a given correlation and the direction of causality, we must be very careful.

Causal mechanisms

Development causation assumed in correlation is a tricky business. V modern society for example, there is a strong correlation between educational attainment and career ability. The better an individual's grades in school, the better paying jobs they are likely to get. What explains such a correlation? Studies usually show that this is not so much a matter of school experience; the level of school success very much depends on the family from which the person comes. Children from affluent homes whose parents are interested in their studies, where books are available in abundance, are more likely to do well in school and at work than those whose homes lack them all. The causative mechanisms here are the attitude of parents towards their children and the opportunities that the family provides for children to learn (for further discussion of the topic, see Chapter 13, “Education, Communication and the Media”).

Causal mechanisms in sociology should not be understood too simplistic. Causal factors in the interaction of variables in social life also include people's attitudes and their subjective motives.

Variable control

When evaluating the causes that explain the correlation, it is necessary to separate independent variables from dependent variables. An independent variable is one that affects other variables; the variable being affected is the dependent variable. In the example above, academic achievement is the independent variable and salary is the dependent variable. The difference between them is related to direction the causal relationship we are considering. The same factor can act as an independent variable in one study and as a dependent variable in another, depending on which causal processes are analyzed. If we are interested in the effect of income on lifestyle, then income becomes the independent variable.

Determining whether a correlation between multiple variables is causal requires control, which means that a certain variable is fixed in order to determine the influence of others. Using this technique, we can test explanations for observed correlations and separate causal from non-causal relationships. For example, child development researchers have argued that there is a causal relationship between material deprivation in childhood and serious personality problems in adulthood. (Material deprivation means that the child is separated from the mother for a long time, several months or more, in the first years of his life.) How can you check whether there really is a causal relationship between material deprivation and subsequent personality problems? This can be done by trying to control for other possible influences that might explain the correlation.

One of the sources of material deprivation is the admission of a child to a hospital for a long time, during which he will be separated from his parents. However, does attachment to the mother really matter? Maybe if a child receives love and attention from other people, he can still become a normal individual? In order to explore these possible causal relationships, we will have to compare cases in which children were deprived of constant care from anyone, with cases in which children were isolated from their mothers, but received love and care from someone else. If serious personal difficulties arise in the first group, but not in the second, then we must assume that only the constant care of the infant from outside matters. someone whether he is a mother or not. (In fact, children seem to do well as long as they have a stable emotional connection with someone who cares for them, and it doesn't have to be the mother.)

Clarification of the reasons

Many different reasons can be invoked to explain almost any correlation. Can we even be sure that we have covered them all? Of course not. We could not satisfactorily conduct or interpret the results of even the smallest part of a sociological study if we had to test the possibility of the influence of any factor that we might consider relevant to this case. Determination of causal relationships is usually guided by previous research in the field. If we do not have a satisfactory idea in advance of the likely causal mechanisms of some correlation, then it will be very difficult to find real causal relationships. We won't know what need to be checked.

A striking example of the problems associated with the search for a correct assessment of the causal relationships that take place in this correlation is the long history of research on smoking and lung cancer. Research has consistently shown a strong correlation for this pair of variables. Smokers are more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers, and heavy smokers are more likely than moderate smokers. This correlation can also be represented in the opposite direction. Thus, among patients with lung cancer, there is a high proportion of those who are smokers, or have been smokers for a long time. There are so many studies confirming this correlation that the mandatory presence of a causal relationship in this case is generally recognized. However, the exact causal mechanisms are still unknown.

However, no matter how much correlations are considered in the study of this issue, doubts always remain about the existence of causal relationships, since different interpretations of the correlation are always possible. For example, it has been suggested that people who are prone to lung cancer are also prone to smoking. From this point of view, lung cancer is not caused by smoking, but smoking and lung cancer arise from a predisposition that is determined by the biological constitution of individuals.

Research methods

Field work

Sociology uses many different methods. At enabled surveillance or field work(these two terms can be used interchangeably)

Statistical terms

In sociological research, statistical methods are often used in data analysis. Some of them are extremely original and complex, but those that are used most often are easy to understand. Most often used main or main trend(methods for calculating averages) and correlation coefficients(a measure of the extent to which one variable is related to another).

There are three methods for calculating averages, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. As a working example, take the level of personal wealth (including all kinds of goods such as houses, cars, bank accounts, and investments) of thirteen individuals. Suppose these thirteen people own the following amount of goods:

• 1. £0
• 2. Ј 5000
• 3. Ј 10000
• 4. Ј 20000
• 5. Ј 40000
• 6. Ј 40000
• 7. Ј 40000
• 8. Ј 80000
• 9. Ј 100000
• 10. Ј 150000
• 11. Ј 200000
• 12. Ј 400000
• 13. Ј 10000000

The average here corresponds averaging in his common understanding, and is obtained by adding together the personal wealth of all thirteen people and dividing the result by their total number, that is, by 13. The total will be Ј 11085000, dividing this by thirteen, we get a value equal to Ј 852692. The average is often useful because it is based on using all the available data. However, this operation can be misleading where one or a small part of the cases are very different from the majority. In the example given, the mean would not actually be a measure the main trend since the presence of one very large quantity Ј 10000000 skews everything else. It may seem that most of these people own a much larger amount of goods than they actually do.

In such cases, one of the remaining measures may be used. Fashion-- value occurring in the dataset most often. In the example given here, this is Ј 40000. The problem with fashion is that this method does not take into account the general distribution data, i.e. the entire range of values. The most frequently occurring case is not necessarily representative of the distribution as a whole, and is therefore not very useful as an “average”. In our case Ј 40,000 does not give an accurate indication of the underlying trend, as this amount is too close to the low end of the figures shown.

The third measure is median-- the value being In the middle set. In the example given here, this is the seventh value -- Ј 40000. 619

In our example, an odd number of values ​​are given. If it were even, for example, twelve instead of thirteen, then the median would be calculated as the average of two numbers in the middle - the sixth and seventh. Like the mode, the median does not give an idea of ​​the real range of the received data.

In order not to give an erroneous picture of the mean, the researcher may use more than just a measure of the main trend. Most often calculated standard deviation for the data set. This is the way to count scatter degree, or range, for a set of values, which in this case lies between Ј 0 and Ј 10 000 000.

Odds Correlations offer a useful way of expressing how two (or more) variables are related to each other. If two variables are perfectly correlated, we can talk about a complete positive correlation, expressed by a coefficient of 1. Where there is no relationship between two variables (they may not be related at all), the coefficient will be zero. An absolute negative correlation, expressed as -1, exists where two variables are in exact reverse relation to each other. V social sciences absolute correlations are never found. Correlations of the order of 0.6 or more, whether positive or negative, are usually an indicator of a strong relationship between any analyzed variables. Positive correlations of this level can be found, for example, between class origin and electoral behavior. The higher the Englishman is on the socio-economic scale, the more likely he is to prefer the Conservatives to the Labor Party.

The researcher lives with the group or community he is studying, taking a direct part in their activities. An example of field work is Irving Goffman's famous study of the behavior of people in an insane asylum4 4) Goffman E. Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. Harmondsworth, 1961). Goffman spent several months in an asylum for the mentally ill, working as an orderly's assistant. One or two of the staff knew that he was a sociologist, but the patients did not know this. Therefore, Hoffman could easily and naturally communicate with them, and even contacted seriously ill patients who were kept in closed wards. Thus, he had the opportunity to form a detailed picture of the life of this organization, as well as the inclinations and views of those who lived and worked in it. The research materials were daily notes about the life of the wards, as well as reports of conversations and contacts with patients and staff.

He found, for example, that in closed wards, where many patients resisted the usual ways of social communication, the attendants had at their disposal one or two "working patients" from other wards who helped them. Working patients usually had a number of indulgences as a reward for their efforts. This practice was not officially recognized by the hospital administration, but in fact it was essential to the normal operation of the organization. An example of this kind is a fragment of Hoffmann's field notes on everyday events: 620

Eating with a patient friend in one of the sick cafeterias. He says, "The food here is good, but I don't like canned salmon." Then he apologizes, throws his plate of food into the trash can and walks to the diet dispenser, where he comes back with scrambled eggs, smiles conspiratorially and says, "We're playing pool with the guy who looks after these trash cans."

Goffman was able to see the hospital from the point of view of the patient, and not through the prism of medical categories used in such cases by psychiatrists. “My deep conviction,” he wrote, “is that any group of people, primitive, pilots of airliners or patients of the clinic, lives their own life, which turns out to be filled with meaning, reasonable and normal when you get to know it closely” . Goffman's work shows that what seems "crazy" to an outside observer turns out to be not so meaningless in a hospital setting. Mental asylums involve forms of discipline, dress, and behavior that make it almost impossible for their inmates to act like people in the ordinary world. When patients enter the clinic, their personal belongings are most often taken away, they themselves are undressed, washed, disinfected and dressed in hospital gowns. From now on, their whole life passes in front of the staff, the possibility of privacy is practically non-existent, and the staff often treats patients like small children. As a result, they begin to behave in a way that is strange to outsiders, but justified as an attempt to adapt to the unusual requirements of their environment.

Field work requirements

The researcher cannot be present in this community, but must explain and justify his presence before its members. He must gain trust and cooperation with the group and maintain them for some time if he expects to get serious results. Perhaps this will be associated with living in conditions that are extremely different from those in which we live, and even difficult to endure, especially when it comes to the study of cultures.

For a long time, it was customary in participatory research to exclude any mention of the dangers or problems one had to deal with, but more recently, researchers' notes and diaries have become more open. The researcher often has to deal with the feeling of loneliness, since it is difficult to “get used” to a community to which a person does not really belong. The researcher may constantly meet with the reluctance of members of the group or community to speak frankly about themselves; direct questioning may be welcomed in some cultural contexts but met with cold silence in others. Some types of field work can even be physically dangerous. For example, a researcher studying a gang may be seen as a police informant or drawn into conflict with rival groups.

Like most types of social research, field work is usually a one-sided action towards those whose work is being studied. The choice of a group for research, as a rule, is determined by the scientist alone; prior consultations with members of the study group or their involvement in the project are rarely addressed. It is not surprising that field work 621 often arouses suspicion and that such attempts often have to be abandoned at the very beginning.

One of the first field anthropologists, Frank Hamilton Cushing, who studied the Zuni Indians in New Mexico in the 1870s, described in detail the problems he encountered (as well as the successes achieved)5 5) Gushing F. H. My Adventures in Zuni. Palmer Lake, 1967; first publication 1882-1883.). Arriving at the Indians for the first time, Cushing took many different small gifts and made attempts to integrate into the community. The Zuni were friendly enough with him, but resolutely refused to allow their religious ceremonies to be studied. The chief tried to force him to leave the tribe, but ultimately allowed him to stay, on the condition that he learn some Indian customs and thereby demonstrate that he did not consider their beliefs and rituals stupid. Cushing was required to wear Zuni clothes, which he found extremely uncomfortable and unsuitable, had to eat Zuni food, his hanging bunk was torn off and he was forced to sleep on the floor on sheepskin like the Zunis themselves. The most difficult situation arose when he was told that he should take a wife, and a woman was sent to him. At first, he tried to ignore her worries, but to no avail. Finally he sent her away and thus brought dishonor upon her in the eyes of Zuni.

Since then, the Zuni, like many other American Indian groups, have become accustomed to visiting scholars, but their relationship with the latter has often been tense. In the 1920s, the archaeologist F. W. Hodge aroused their hostility because he began excavations at the site of one of their ancient sanctuaries6 6) Pandey T. Anthropologist at Zuni // Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 1972.); he was forced to leave, in addition, the Indians smashed the expedition's cameras.

When the famous anthropologist Ruth Benedict soon arrived at Zuni, she was better received. The Indian interpreter later said that she was polite and gave money generously, but that her publications about Zuni's life were not very serious, since she did not accept active participation in many aspects of Zuni's life. Since then, the Zuni have repeatedly expelled explorers from their tribe. Recently, an Indian asked another visitor, “Are we still primitive enough that anthropologists come to visit us every summer?”

Advantages and limitations of field work

Field work - if it is successful - provides richer information about the life of society than many other methods. If we understand how things look “from the inside” of a given group, we can better understand why its members act the way they do. Fieldwork is probably the only possible method for investigating a group whose culture is fundamentally unknown to outsiders and must be "learned" before the actions of the members of that group become intelligible. For this reason, field work is the main research method in anthropology, its use allows understanding of life in non-Western cultures.

Field work provides the researcher with more flexibility than other methods such as interviews. A researcher working in the field can adapt to new unforeseen circumstances and follow the guidelines that arise in the course of the research itself. Field work is more likely to produce unexpected results than most other research methods. A scientist can sometimes be shocked to find that his ideas about a given group or community were completely false. But field work also has its limitations: only relatively small groups and communities can be studied in this way; in addition, the degree of trust of people largely depends on the skill of the researcher. Without this, the study is unlikely to be more than just a project.

Polls (surveys)

When interpreting the results of field studies, one usually encounters the problem of generalization. How can you be sure that what you discover in one context will be applicable to other situations? This problem practically does not occur when surveys(surveys), although they certainly have their shortcomings. In surveys, lists of questions are either sent out or handed out directly during the interview to a selected group of people, which can sometimes number several thousand people. Fieldwork is more suited to in-depth research into social life; surveys tend to give less detailed information, but we can be sure that it is true for a wide area.

Standardized and open-ended questionnaires

The survey uses two types of questionnaires. One of them means standardized a set of questions to which only fixed answers are possible. Either the respondent or the researcher marks the answers to the questions asked, such as "Yes/No/Don't know" or "Very likely/Possible/Unlikely/Not likely". Fixed-response surveys have the advantage that responses are easy to collate and tabulate because only a small number of options are possible. On the other hand, due to the fact that they do not allow for the capture of shades of opinions and do not allow for the verbal expression of these opinions, the information that is obtained with their help is likely to be limited. Questionnaires of another type are open, they enable respondents to express their views in their own words, rather than just pointing at preselected answers. Open questionnaires are more flexible, they provide richer information than standardized ones. The researcher can develop their questions to gain a deeper understanding of what the respondent is thinking. On the other hand, the lack of harmonization means that the answers will be difficult to compare.

To get worthwhile results, questions for this kind of interview should be built very carefully. For example, a question like “What do you think of the government?” would be useless as it is too vague. The fact is that the respondents, not knowing what exactly is meant, would interpret the question differently. The researcher must also beware suggestive questions, that is, questions asked in such a way as to evoke a definite answer. A question that begins with "Do you agree that..." is a leading question because it provokes respondent's consent. A more neutral question would begin like this: “What is your opinion about...” There are many other sources of distortion and uncertainty in the formulation of questions. For example, a question might present a respondent with a double choice: “Is your health better or worse now than it was a year ago?” The double choice here is between “better-worse” and “now-then”. A clearer statement would be: “Is your health better now than it was a year ago?” Respondents could answer “yes” or “no” to both questions; 623 in the first case, the researcher could not interpret the answer. To avoid ambiguity in answers, questions should be as simple as possible.

All questionnaire items are usually arranged so that interviewers can ask questions in the same predetermined order and record responses in the same way. All points should be clear to both interviewers and interviewees. In large nationwide surveys regularly conducted by government agencies and research organizations, interviews are conducted simultaneously by multiple interviewers throughout the country. Interviewers and reviewers will not be able to do their job if they need to constantly communicate with each other to resolve ambiguities in questions or answers.

The survey design should be carefully tailored to the characteristics of the respondents. Will they see the problem the researcher has in mind when he asks this question? Do they have enough information to give a complete answer? Will want do they answer? The terms the researcher works with may be unfamiliar to the respondents, for example, the question “What is your marital status?” may be taken with some confusion. It would be more correct to ask, “Are you single, married or divorced?” Most surveys are preceded by preliminary (“pilot”) studies, designed to identify problems not noticed by the researcher. A pilot study is a pilot survey in which only a few people complete the questionnaire. Any difficulties found during the survey can be resolved before the main survey begins.

Sample

Often sociologists are interested in the characteristics of large groups, such as the political positions of the British electorate. It is impossible to examine directly all people, so in such situations, the study concentrates on a small proportion of the entire group, sampling from total number. It can be assumed that the results of a survey of a certain proportion of the population can be extended to the population as a whole. A poll of just 2,000 or 3,000 British voters can be a very accurate indicator of the attitudes and electoral intentions of the entire population. But to achieve this accuracy, the sample must be representative. Representative Sample requires confidence that the group of individuals studied is typical of the population as a whole. Definition samples is more complex than it might seem, and statisticians have developed many rules for determining the size and composition of samples.

It is especially important to work with random sample, in which the selection procedure is determined in such a way that every member of the entire population under consideration has the same probability of being included. The most accurate way to get a random sample is to assign a certain number to each member of the population, and then get a set of random numbers and thus make a sample; for example, choosing every tenth number in random sequences.

Example: "People's Choice?"

One of the first polls to become widely publicized is the study called "People's Choice?" conducted by Paul Lazarsfeld and a group of 624 colleagues a little over half a century ago7 7) Lazarsfeld P., Berelson V. and Gaudent H. The People's choice. New York, 1948.). The study was the first to apply some of the most important modern polling techniques. At the same time, its shortcomings clearly demonstrated the limitations inherent in this method. The task of People's Choice was to study the intentions of voters living in Erie County, Ohio, during the 1940 campaign for the election of the President of the United States, this survey influenced the nature of many subsequent political polls, not just academic research.In order to provide greater research depth, the researchers interviewed each member of the sample seven times in different circumstances.The aim was to identify and understand the reasons for the change in the intentions of voters.

The study was based on a number of specific hypotheses. One was that the events and settings close voters of a given community influence their electoral intentions to a greater extent than common problems world-class, and the results of the study generally confirmed this. To analyze political sympathies, researchers have developed sophisticated measurement techniques, but their work has also been heavily influenced by theoretical ideas; moreover, the work itself was an essential contribution to the field of theoretical thought. Among the concepts that came into use thanks to her were "opinion leaders" and "two-stage communication flow." Some individuals - leaders of public opinion - shaped the political views and opinions of others. They influenced the process of forming reactions to political events, interpreting them for others. People's views on the political system are not formed directly, but in a "two-stage" process: the reactions of individuals to the political topics of the day are determined by the views expressed by opinion leaders, passed through the filter of personal relationships.

This study was admired by many, but it was also heavily criticized. Lazarsfeld and his colleagues argued that they were "interested in all the conditions that determine the political behavior of people." But, as critics point out, their study has actually only illuminated certain aspects of political behavior. It practically lacked an analysis of existing institutions political system and how these institutions function, as the study was limited to the analysis of political opinions. Using re-interviewing -- now it's called panel study -- means that the results of this study will be more in-depth. However, by their very nature, surveys usually reveal only what people talking about themselves rather than what they actually think or do.

Grade

Surveys continue to be widely used in sociology for several reasons8 8) Miller W. The Survey Method in Social and Political Sciences: Achievements, Failures, Prospects. New York, 1983). Questionnaire responses are easier to record and analyze than material from many other methods; surveys allow you to explore a large number of people; with sufficient funds, researchers may engage an agency specializing in surveys to collect information.

However, many sociologists are critical of what they define as over-reliance on the survey method. Survey results are easily processed 625 and statistically analyzed, but opponents of this method argue that the processing creates the appearance of accuracy of the results, the correctness of which may be questionable, given the relative superficiality characteristic of most responses to questionnaire items. There are other negatives as well. Sometimes the rejection rate is very high, especially if the questionnaires are sent and returned by mail. It is not uncommon for the results to be based on a sample of less than half the size that was intended, despite attempts to either re-contact non-respondents or find replacements. Little is known about people who choose not to participate in surveys and do not agree to be interviewed when the researcher is at their door, but they often see the survey as unnecessary and time-consuming9 9) GoyderJohn. The Silent Minority: Non-respondents on Sample Surveys. Cambridge, 1987).

The conditions in which the survey is administered and the language used to describe the results are often far removed from the living and real individuals to whom the questions are addressed. Where questionnaires are sent by mail, the researcher is so far removed from those to whom the study is dedicated that it can be very difficult to remember living people who read and return materials by mail. Telephone surveys, which are increasingly being used in research when instant analysis of opinions on hot topic are almost as anonymous. The language in which the results of the survey are discussed, including the words “subjects”, “respondents” and “interviewees”, expresses an abstract and impersonal vision of the people about whom in question. Treating people as only passively responding beings is, in all likelihood, more than just the conventional way of analyzing surveys; it often expresses a limited view of the processes of human reasoning.

Two people may take roughly the same position when viewed in terms of the questions on the questionnaire, but the reasons why they hold these views may be quite different. So, to the question about foreign policy both can say that they "firmly believe" that Britain should reduce its military presence abroad, and both will be considered spokesmen for the same opinion. But their true orientations may diverge radically. One will think that Fortress Britain, which he believes in, should reduce foreign participation due to isolationist views, according to which foreigners should solve their own problems, while the other may be a supporter of global disarmament and believe that Britain should strengthen its influence in the world, using methods not related to the use of military force.

If interviewers have the opportunity to deepen their questions, they can partly solve this problem. In general, the more intense and direct the contact between the researcher and those involved in the study, the more informative and valid the conclusions will be. The results of the survey should, as far as possible, be supplemented by in-depth field research materials.

The results of the analysis of the information received are reflected either in a brief analytical note or in a full report on the conducted sociological research. The report, as a rule, contains a description of all sections of the research program, a presentation of the theories used in it, methodological and methodological apparatus, a description and explanation of the data obtained, scientific conclusions and recommendations. This independent view scientific work, the source document for the preparation of policy decisions, as well as scientific papers - monographs, dissertations, etc.

The nature of the report largely reflects the type of research - purely scientific or applied. When preparing a report on a study of the first type, attention is primarily focused on the formulation of problems, their conceptual study, the formulation of the goals and objectives of the study, and working hypotheses. Along with this, an assessment is given of the degree of development of the problem, existing approaches to its study and solution. In the section devoted to the analysis of the results of the study, the achieved level of solving the tasks set, the results of testing hypotheses are substantiated, conclusions are formulated and recommendations based on them.

A similar form of report can be used for "custom" studies. However, when compiling it, the emphasis should be placed on information of interest to the customer, practical conclusions and recommendations. In this kind of research, initial stage their preparation, the problematic social situation is translated into the language of applied sociological research, and at the final stage, when formulating practical recommendations, the results of the research are translated into the language of managerial decisions and social technologies. Along with a full report, an abbreviated version is usually prepared, revealing the main content of the tasks to be solved and ways to implement them.

There are two main types of reports: intermediate and final. The interim report usually reflects either the incompleteness of the study in in full, or a preliminary, primary analysis of its results.

The final report on the results of the study fully, comprehensively and deeply reveals the searches, findings and gaps at all its stages, reveals the problems that remain unresolved. The structure of the report on the results of the study most often corresponds to the logic of the operationalization of the main concepts, but the sociologist, preparing this document, follows the path of induction, gradually reducing sociological data into indicators. The number of sections in the report usually corresponds to the number of hypotheses formulated in the research program. Initially, the answer to the main hypothesis is given.

Usually, first section of the report contains a brief rationale for the relevance of the social problem under study, general characteristics research parameters - the main methodological and methodological provisions of the research program are revealed, a paragraph is specially highlighted that characterizes the process of implementing the program (sample, methods of collecting information, the number of research participants, the timing of the work, etc.). In second the section describes the object of study according to socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, education, etc.). Subsequent sections include a search for answers to the hypotheses put forward in the program.

Sections (or chapters) of the report, if necessary, can be divided into paragraphs. Each section or even paragraph usually ends with conclusions. The conclusion of the report contains general conclusions based on the results of the study and practical recommendations addressed to various management structures, organizations and stakeholders. Recommendations and a list of main proposals arising from the analysis of reporting data must be specific, realistic, have the necessary justifications in the context of the report, and be supported by statistical and other data. The report can be presented on several tens or even hundreds of pages. It depends on the volume of material, goals and objectives of the study.

The annex to the report contains all the methodological and methodological documents of the study: program, plan, tools, instructions, etc. In addition, tables, graphs, individual opinions, answers to open questions that were not included in the report are most often taken out to the application. This must be done because these documents, answers can be used in the preparation of a new research program. The material on this problem is presented in the textbook, ed. V.N. Lavrinenko (Sociology. - M.: UNITI-DANA, 2000. - P. 382-383), "Working book of a sociologist" (M.: Editorial, 2003), as well as in the book of S.I. Grigorieva and Yu.E. Rastov "Fundamentals of Modern Sociology" (M.: Pedagogical Society of Russia, 2002. - P. 161-165).

Questions for self-control

Where does the analysis of empirical data begin?

What is the essence of primary information processing?

What encoding methods are used and what serves as the criteria for choosing one or another encoding method?

What is the difference between nominal, ordinal and interval scales?

Name the types of groupings of primary information.

What is measurement in sociology?

What is the nature of the difficulties in translating qualitative characteristics into their quantitative expression?

What graphic ways can provide sociological information?

What is the essence of correlation analysis?

What is the difference between factorial and latent analysis?

What is the specificity of qualitative types of analysis of sociological information?

What is the structure of the report on the results of a sociological study?

What are the features of compiling a report on scientific and applied research?

Essay topics

Substantiation of the scientific method in applied sociology.

Mathematical methods in the arsenal of a sociologist.

Correlation and factor analysis in sociological research, their purpose and specificity.

The use of computers in the processing of sociological information.

The quality of sociological information.

Interpretation and analysis of data in sociological research.

Graphic interpretation of research results.

Section three

APPLIED SOCIOLOGY

society's attitude to the problems of child homelessness and neglect. information support for the problems of orphanhood and homelessness

Analytical report

according to the results of sociological research

Moscow, 2005

The attitude of Russians to the problem of child homelessness and neglect: an assessment of the significance of these problems in modern Russian society

The most pressing problems for the inhabitants of Russia are currently the growth of alcoholism and drug addiction, the rise in prices for goods and services, as well as the crisis in the housing and communal sector, are somewhat less relevant. All these processes directly affect the growth in the number of orphans and street children, including the growth of crime among children and adolescents. These phenomena today are also considered by public opinion to be the most important and relevant.

The relative majority of Russians somehow take part in the life of beggar children: when they meet, they give them money, try to feed them, try to arrange them in an orphanage. The proportion of respondents who try to avoid contact with begging children is less than a third of all residents of the country.

The strengthening of such a social phenomenon as child homelessness and neglect is one of the reasons for the growth of crime, including crime among children and teenagers. Most of the survey participants practically did not encounter these violations. A small proportion of witnesses to such facts is apparently due to the latent nature of the very phenomenon of crime.

According to more than half of the respondents, the main responsibility for high level Homelessness in the country lies with dysfunctional families who are not involved in raising their children, as well as with the state, which poorly finances the solution of problems in this area.

At present, in the context of a systemic crisis in the socio-economic sphere, there are a number of urgent problems that cannot be ignored. The urgent tasks of the current socio-economic policy are to consolidate the trend of dynamic economic growth, consistently improve the well-being of the population, redistribute state social spending in favor of the most vulnerable groups of the population in the face of a steady decline in inflation, ensure the safety of the population, and social protection of the most vulnerable sections of society.

In the course of this study, the respondents were asked to identify the most acute social events and processes taking place in society today. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (62%) are concerned about the growth of alcoholism and drug addiction, about half (51%) are alarmed by the rise in prices for goods and services, about a third (32%) noted the low standard of living of a significant part of the population.

All these processes directly affect an increase in the number of orphans, homeless and neglected children, as well as an increase in crime among children and adolescents. These phenomena in public opinion are among the most important and relevant today. . Every third respondent (32%) is concerned about the increase in the number of orphans and the increase in the number of homeless and neglected children; every fifth (21%) - an increase in crime, including children's crime (Table 1).

Table 1

What events, processes, taking place recently in the life of the country, cause you concern?*

EVENTS, PROCESSES
The rise of alcoholism, drug addiction
Rising prices for goods and services
Growth of non-Russian population in traditionally Russian regions
Reforming the pension system, the system of benefits
Instability of relations with the CIS countries - Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, etc.
Low civil and legal culture of people, inability to fight for their rights
Dollar exchange rate instability
Reducing the role of the opposition in political life country
Trial of M. Khodorkovsky
Restriction of freedom of speech in central and regional media
Difficult to answer
Cooling of relations between Russia and the West
Don't care about anything

*The number of responses exceeds 100%, because Respondents were offered several answers.

The problems of the increase in the number of orphans, a large number of homeless and neglected children are of greater concern to women: among men, this problem was noted by 26%, among women - 37%. There were no significant differences in the assessment of the significance of this problem in different age groups.

The relevance of the problem of the growth of crime, including among children and adolescents, for respondents increases with age - the older the respondents, the more they focus on this problem.

Grouping problems according to their significance for citizens

Factor analysis made it possible to group 20 problems into the following 8 problem-factors. Recall that the main result of factor analysis is the matrix of correlations of individual variables with the obtained factors (components). This allows you to make conclusions about which variables are included in a particular factor, and which, on the contrary, correlate negatively with the factor, that is, “not typical” for this factor. Table 2 shows both those and other variables.

table 2

Problem Factors	Factor Specific Problems	Problems not specific to the factor
	Orphans and homeless children, alcoholism and drug addiction, housing and communal services crisis	Reduced access to free healthcare and education, low standard of living of the population
	Rising prices for goods and services, low standard of living of the population	The threat of terrorist attacks, the situation in Chechnya, alcoholism and drug addiction
	Reducing the role of the opposition, the instability of the dollar, the trial of Khodorkovsky	Low standard of living of the population
	Restrictions on freedom of speech, worsening relations with the West
	Low legal culture, corruption and bureaucracy	Rising prices for goods and services
	Instability of relations with the CIS countries	Decreased morality and morality
	Rise in juvenile delinquency	Growth of the non-Russian population
	Reforming the pension system	Low standard of living of the population

Some problems are not included in any of the groups. Thus, the decline in morality and morality weakly correlates with four factors at once (most strongly with the fourth factor). This means, in general terms, that the problem was named by people of very different views and preferences, and it turned out to be difficult to clearly attribute it to one or another group of problems. The same applies to the problem of the growth of the non-Russian population, which correlates weakly with factors 5 and 6, as well as the problem of Chechnya (weak positive relationship with the third factor).

Note that some of the problems were grouped, that is, they were called together quite often, while others themselves formed a separate factor. As we can see, the problem of the growing number of orphans and homeless children, although it is mentioned quite often (32% of respondents), has no obvious independent significance and is included in the first factor along with alcoholism and the housing and communal services crisis. This factor is not problematic. low level life and reduced access to free education, medical care.

We are primarily interested in the problem of orphans and homeless children. Let us consider how the choice of this problem correlates with values ​​(see Table 3).

Table 3

	The problem of orphans and homeless children
value preferences, cluster	the problem was not mentioned	the problem was called
power and fame
freedom from obligation
wealth and business
private life
family and Children
intelligence and career

There is no such value cluster where this problem would be significant for the majority of respondents. However, statistically significant differences were found. It should be specially noted that in the “intelligence and career” cluster there are somewhat more of those who indicated the problem of orphans and adolescents, and this proportion is noticeably larger than in other clusters, except for the “private life” cluster.

We note some more interesting results. In the "private life" cluster, there are noticeably more of those who are concerned about the housing and communal services problem - 51.5%, while in other clusters from 21% to 44%.

Terrorist acts are of most concern to respondents in the "intelligence and career" cluster - 40%, in other clusters - from 16% to 28%.

The growth of the non-Russian population as a problem was more often indicated in the “freedom from obligations” cluster – 24%, in other clusters 11%–15%.

From the point of view of the motives for marriage, no differences were found in the choice of the problem of homeless children, i.e., for various motives, the significance of the problem is approximately the same.

In the context of the preferred forms of raising orphans, the problem of orphans and homeless children was mentioned with the following frequency (Fig. 1):

Picture 1

The problem of the number of orphans and homeless children is most of all concerned by the respondents who named “something else” as the optimal form of adoption of children, as well as those who named “family patronage without adoption” and “family orphanages”.

The level of concern about the problem of orphans has nothing to do with personal experience adoption (or orphanhood). The question "Are there adopted children in your family?" allows you to get three content groups: "yes", "no", "I myself am an adopted child". As we can see, from experience, these groups have clear specifics, and, nevertheless, in each of them, the problem of children and orphans is called by 30-33%, i.e., the differences are insignificant both statistically and practically. That is, those who have adopted children, and those who do not have them, and those who themselves were adopted children, treat the problem in exactly the same way.

The high significance of the problems of the growth in the number of orphans, the growth of crime among children and adolescents is also due to the fact that many Russians have repeatedly encountered such a phenomenon as beggar children on the street or in public transport. At the same time, the results of the study make it possible to single out the two most common types of behavior when meeting children begging on the streets: the first is when people try to help them in one way or another, that is, they give them money, try to feed them or place them in a specialized institution, the second is when people try in every possible way to get away from interacting with them, that is, they avoid meeting, ignoring such children. Based on the data obtained, the relative the majority of Russians (66%) somehow take part in the life of beggar children , 39% of them give them money when they meet, 25% try to feed them, 1% try to place them in a shelter, 1% report them to the nearest policeman. The proportion of respondents who try to avoid contact with child beggars is 28%, among them 16% do not react in any way to children, 12% try to avoid contact with them (Fig. 2).

Figure 2

The results of the study also make it possible to fix a certain differentiation in the behavioral patterns in relation to begging children among various socio-demographic groups of the population. It is worth noting that there are fewer men with the first type of behavior (one way or another interacting with begging children) than women (58% versus 72% of respondents). Conversely, a larger number of men (33% versus 23% of women) try to avoid interacting with such children in every possible way.

There are some characteristic features of actions when meeting with child beggars in different age groups of respondents. Older respondents more often try to help such children in one way or another, and, conversely, among them there is a smaller proportion of those who in every possible way avoid any contact with begging children. If in the group of 18-24-year-olds 58% interact with children, 37% try to avoid communicating with them, then in the group of 25-34-year-olds "first" 62%, "second" 34%, and in the age group of 45-59 years 72% interact with begging children, 21% avoid it.

There is also a dependence of one or another type of behavior towards beggar children on the level of education of the beggars. The proportion of respondents interacting with such children among people with higher education slightly lower than among those who do not have higher education - 60% versus 67%, and vice versa, 33% of respondents with higher education avoid contact with children on the street versus 26% of those who do not have higher education.

A certain differentiation is also observed among people with different levels financial position. Thus, among respondents who assess their financial situation as average and above average (“we can easily buy durable things” and “we can afford everything”), the shares of those who belong to the “first” 45% and “second” 47 % types of behavior. Representatives of the financially disadvantaged group of respondents are more inclined to help such children. Among them, 68% noted that in one way or another they try to help children who are begging on the street. There are significantly fewer in this group of those who try to avoid any contact with such children or not notice them at all (26%).

The strengthening of such a social phenomenon as child homelessness and neglect is one of the reasons for the growth of crime, including crime among children and teenagers. According to the study, 8% of respondents quite often encountered manifestations of juvenile and juvenile delinquency, almost one in five (19%) of those who responded saw isolated cases of such a phenomenon. Although the majority of survey participants (68%) indicated that they practically did not encounter these violations (Fig. 3). A small proportion of witnesses to such facts is apparently due to the latent nature of the very phenomenon of crime.

Figure 3

Wherein Most Russians place the main responsibility for the increase in the number of orphans, child homelessness and neglect on dysfunctional families and the state . So, slightly more than half of the respondents (57%) noted that the fault lies with dysfunctional families that are not involved in raising their children. Somewhat less than those (49%) who indicated that the blame lies with the state, which poorly finances the solution of problems in this area. Local governments, which poorly control the situation with dysfunctional families, are considered guilty by 19%. Almost one in ten (13%) is convinced that the economic crisis in the country is to blame for everything, which has lowered the living standards of most families.

Only 19% of Russians are inclined to see the responsibility of the entire society for the fact that the problem of homelessness and social orphanhood of children is acquiring the character of a national disaster (Fig. 4). This is evidence, first of all, of the fact that, despite the awareness of the significance of these problems for modern society, for Russians these problems are more of an “external” nature, in no way connected with their personal interests and life plans, which are not included in the range of their pressing problems. .

Figure 4

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As for the opinion of Russians about what is the main reasons for the deterioration of the situation with street children and orphans in modern Russian society , then it is first of all material reasons : low standard of living of the majority of Russian families (51%), insufficient government assistance (40%). Also in this row are the problems of growing alcoholism and drug addiction (44%) and the lack of a state policy regarding family and childhood (39%) (Fig. 5).

Figure 5

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At the same time, a relative majority of respondents (44%) believe that in order to solve the problems of homeless children, it is necessary to create a special state body or service for family and children.

About a third of Russians (33%) are inclined to entrust the solution of these problems to the Ministry of Health and Social Development. There are somewhat fewer of those who entrust these functions to the Ministry of the Interior (21%) and the Ministry of Education and Science (20%). The proportion of those who believe that these issues should be dealt with by the federal security service does not exceed 3% (Fig. 7).

Figure 7

Thus, the solution to these problems is seen by many in a targeted state policy. Moreover, the implementation of such a policy is impossible, according to the Russians, without the active participation of the public. Thus, about a third of the respondents (36%) noted that only the state should deal with these issues. A few more are those who consider public-state forms of control over this situation to be more effective. At the same time, about a quarter of the respondents (23%) see the need to create a mixed public-state council. Another 11% consider the creation of a public council in each municipality with the right to make administrative decisions to be an effective measure.

The Supervisory Board, which would exercise control over the guardianship authorities, is considered an effective form of control by only 8% of the respondents: The same number of Russians (8%) noted the independent Commissioner for Children's Rights (Fig. 8).

Figure 8

It is the lack of an active and clear position of the state today on solving the problems of child homelessness and social orphanhood that forms rather low estimates of the effectiveness of solving these problems by individual social institutions. In essence, the Russians see the solution to these problems in a clearly formulated position of the state on these issues, which implies the formation of a purposeful state policy, which can be implemented through the introduction of the position of the Commissioner for Children's Rights and the creation of local public-state councils. It is no coincidence that about half of the respondents (47%) answered positively to the direct question “Can the introduction of the position of an independent Commissioner for Children's Rights improve the situation with dysfunctional families and children?” (Fig. 9).

Figure 9

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Respondents demonstrate the same attitude when evaluating the effectiveness of the creation of public-state councils that control the situation with dysfunctional families and children in each municipality. Thus, more than half of the respondents (52%) believe that the creation of mixed public-state councils that control the situation with dysfunctional families in each municipality will be able to improve the situation of orphans and minors in dysfunctional families. A quarter of respondents (25%) adhere to the opposite point of view.

Main measures aimed at reducing child homelessness and neglect

As priority measures to help reduce the number of street children and orphans, a significant number of Russians named the strengthening of state material and social support for families with children. Also effective for many respondents is the strengthening of measures of punishment for parents - the tightening of administrative responsibility and the introduction of criminal punishment.

Respondents mentioned measures aimed at restoring the importance of family values ​​much less frequently. Measures aimed at solving this problem at the level of a particular family occupy practically the last positions in this peculiar hierarchy. Despite the fact that the Russians practically do not associate the solution of the problem of child homelessness with the spread of the practice of adopting children.

It is by no means accidental that the definition priority measures aimed at reducing child homelessness and neglect , which in most addressed topics , who, in the opinion of the Russians, is responsible for the state of affairs in this area and on whom the solution of these problems depends - the state and disadvantaged families . Thus, about half of the respondents (48%) named the strengthening of state material and social support for families with children as a measure to reduce the number of such children. It is also effective for a significant number of respondents to strengthen the measures of punishment of parents. At the same time, 38% of Russians noted that it is necessary to strengthen the administrative responsibility of parents for raising children, another third of the respondents (33%) consider it necessary to introduce criminal liability of parents for homeless children. Nevertheless, it is precisely these measures, in our opinion, that not only do not solve the problem of homelessness, but in the case of punishment of parents (administrative or even criminal), they further increase the army of social orphans.

Respondents named measures aimed at restoring the importance of family values ​​much less frequently (23%). Approximately the same number of Russians (23%) noted that an increase in budget financing of guardianship authorities, orphanages, and reception centers would help solve the problems of child homelessness and neglect (Fig. 11).

Figure 11

Measures aimed at solving this problem at the level of a particular family occupy practically the last positions in this peculiar hierarchy. Thus, 20% noted the need for special programs to combat drunkenness, alcoholism and drug addiction. There are even fewer of those (19%) who believe that the development and implementation of special programs for the material and social support of families ready to adopt children will contribute to the solution of these problems. The proportion of those who see the solution to the problem of child homelessness and neglect in simplifying the procedure for deprivation of parental rights and the adoption procedure is 12%, which indicates, first of all, that Russians practically do not associate the solution to the problem of child homelessness with the spread of the practice of adopting children .

Information support of the modern institution of adoption

According to the respondents, the main issues actively discussed by the public during last year, dealt mainly with the problem of child and adolescent crime, as well as alcoholism and drug addiction among children and adolescents. Issues of adoption of children were discussed much less frequently.

Even more rarely, adoption issues were mentioned as preferred information that needed to be actively discussed.

At the same time, various information channels present the problems of child homelessness and social orphanhood in different ways.

The significance of such measures to address the problem of growing homelessness and the number of orphans, such as state support for families and tougher punishment for parents, is largely due to the presence of these problems in the Russian information field. Thus, defining the most actively discussed problems of children in modern society, 41% of respondents named child and adolescent crime, alcoholism, drug addiction among children and adolescents (Fig. 12).

Figure 12

Significantly less often, according to Russians, the problems of homelessness and neglect of children are discussed. These problems were named by 20% of respondents as being actively discussed. The discussion of the facts of violence against children in Russian families (7%), the poor living conditions of orphans in specialized children's institutions (7%), the problems of spending leisure time by children (6%), the problems of raising children in preschool and school institutions (4%)

At the same time, it should be noted that among the problems that, according to Russians, should be in the focus of public attention, 45% noted alcoholism, drug addiction among children and adolescents, 35% - child and adolescent crime, 29% - the low standard of living of Russian families with children, 21% - street children and neglected children.

Attention is drawn to the fact that much less often respondents name the coverage of the adoption of a child as Russian (5%), as well as foreign citizens(4%) (Fig. 13).

Figure 13

At the same time, the main source of information for respondents is news broadcasts on federal channels (71%). About a quarter of respondents (24%) receive information from special programs on television, another 20% - from the news of regional and local television.

Respondents name print media as the main sources of information much less frequently (Fig. 14).

Figure 14

At the same time, this study recorded that various information channels present the problems of orphans, homeless children, adoption of children by Russian and foreign citizens, and juvenile delinquency in different ways. Thus, those who receive this information from the news of federal channels are much more likely to note that today the problems of raising children in preschool and school institutions (77%), the problems of low living standards of families (75%), as well as the problems of alcoholism and drug addiction are being actively discussed. among youth. A somewhat different presentation of information in the news on regional channels. Here, such aspects as violence against children in Russian families (30%), as well as issues of children's leisure activities (25%) are most actively discussed.

According to the respondents, the problems of street children can more often be learned from special television programs. So, think about a third of the respondents (31%). In addition, such programs often provide information on the adoption of children, both by foreign citizens (28%) and Russian (27%).

It is also interesting that the theme of society's attitude to these problems, the unwillingness to have and raise children, is often discussed when talking with colleagues and relatives.