N.M. Rimashevskaya
(The full article "Poverty and marginalization of the population (social bottom)" was published in the journal "Sociological Research" No. 4, 2004)

Survey of the "social bottom"

Poverty, unemployment, economic and social instability, unrealizable hopes, the collapse of plans intensify the process of marginalization of the population. As a result, a social stratum of paupers appears, as a result of increasing downward social mobility, which is growing in intensity. This is how the "social bottom" is formed and strengthened, which is actually rejected by a society that practically does not even know its true dimensions. A special study of this problem allows us to single out four groups of people who make up the "social bottom": 1) beggars who openly beg for alms; 2) "homeless" who lost their homes, as is well known, primarily as a result of the emergence of the housing market; 3) homeless children who lost their parents or ran away from home; 4) street prostitutes (including children) leading an asocial lifestyle. Representatives of the "social bottom" have similar features. These are people who are in a state of social exclusion, deprived of social resources, stable ties that have lost elementary social skills and dominant values ​​of society. They have actually already stopped fighting for their social existence. At the same time, each of these groups has its own specifics, but there are no hard lines between them: a homeless person can be a beggar, and a homeless child can be a homeless person. Nevertheless, all representatives of the "social bottom" have their own characteristics, features of formation and socio-demographic properties of their identification.

The main feature of the poor is to beg for alms due to lack of income or its catastrophic decrease, when there is no help either from society or from loved ones, and there is no way to earn it. Obviously, the physical absence of a roof over their heads is the main characteristic of the homeless. They are deprived of their housing, as a rule, as a result of fraud, sale, when returning from penitentiary institutions. The main feature of the third group - homeless children - is age; it includes children from 6 to 17 years old who are rejected in one form or another by the family or their caregivers. The last group - street prostitutes - differ in the nature of their activities. Every fourth surveyed of them considers prostitution a "prestigious profession", every second considers it as the only opportunity to get a "good salary" capable of providing a normal standard of living. To a large extent, the activities of these women, and sometimes children, are determined by the hopelessness of living conditions.

The marginalization of the population in the process of its intensive downward mobility poses a particularly acute problem of analyzing and considering the current situation. Obviously, routine statistics and, above all, household surveys cannot answer the questions that arise in this regard, which was the main reason for organizing a special socio-economic study of the "social bottom" in Russia, conducted by ISEPN RAS.

The study was based on three sources of information. The first is a sample survey of the urban population. The sample was 1201 people. It was designed as a quota with representation by social status, education, sex and age. The second source was a survey of experts, among whom were: employees of law enforcement agencies, employment services, charity homes, social protection services, as well as journalists, public and religious figures. Total population they amounted to 111 people, required condition selection - daily work with representatives of the "social bottom". The third source of information is in-depth interviews with representatives of all four groups of the "social bottom" (number of respondents - 96 people). The surveys were conducted in six major Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg.

74% of the population and 81% of experts consider the problem of the "social bottom" acute and most significant; 75% of the population and 85% of experts view it as a threatening (or simply dangerous) phenomenon in Russian life; 85% of the population and 87% of experts believe that the development of the "social bottom", its growth and increased aggressiveness are due to the policy of reforms.

The information obtained as a result of the study shows that the lower limit of the size of the "social bottom" is 10% of the urban population, or 10.8 million people, of which 3.4 million people are poor, 3.3 million are homeless , 2.8 million - street children and 1.3 million people - street prostitutes. These figures do not match the official statistics. So, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, there are from 100 to 350 thousand homeless people in Russia, and this is natural, because law enforcement agencies record only that part of the social bottom that falls into their orbit. And this is just the visible part of the iceberg.

Multiplied external factors downward mobility, including a reduced level of social support (single pensioners, the disabled, single mothers), social isolation (drug addicts, criminals, gypsies). Psychological condition paupers, as a rule, are characterized by despair and hopelessness. At the same time, the entire spectrum of human emotions can be traced among the categories of the population under consideration: the despair of people who have fallen to the “bottom” relatively recently and are not yet sufficiently socialized in a new environment for themselves (beggars), the hopeless calmness of the “old-timers” (homeless people, prostitutes) and “optimism” street children who, as they think, broke free.

Analysis of the data shows that the "social bottom" has a predominantly "male face". Among its inhabitants, two thirds are men and one third are women. "Dno" in Russia is young: the average age of beggars and the homeless is approaching 45; for homeless children it is 13 years, for prostitutes - 28. The minimum age for beggars is 12 years, and for prostitutes - 14 years; homeless people start from the age of 6. The majority of beggars and homeless people have secondary and specialized secondary education, and 6% of beggars, homeless people and prostitutes even have a higher education. In the eyes of the public appearance paupers is one of the main indicators of belonging to the "social bottom". They are perceived as "having an immoral appearance" (62% of experts), "unkempt, degraded" (60% of the population and 62% of experts). However, half of the paupers surveyed wash once a week, one third once a month. Almost three quarters (71%) of them are deprived of permanent housing, two thirds (62%) have no relatives and friends, one third (30%) are actually isolated from society.

About 14% of the representatives of the "social bottom" live in small groups or colonies, the rest live in families or singles. Their habitats are very diverse: in apartments (of their own or acquaintances), in basements and attics of houses, in abandoned houses and garden houses, at stations and ports, in heating mains and sewer collectors or wells, in landfills. The most unsettled are the homeless and homeless children. A significant part of the poor and the homeless worked as previously unskilled workers in dirty production. In addition, many had traveling work with a long separation from home. Prostitutes worked mainly in public catering and trade.

There is a high percentage of alcoholics and drug addicts among the poor and street children. Most representatives of the "bottom" have traces of severe beatings; two-thirds eat extremely irregular and poor quality food. But in general, their assessments of their own health are moderately optimistic. Many of them do not use drugs. Only a third of prostitutes resort to medical services; about half do not pay attention to diseases or treat them with vodka. Almost completely uncovered medical care homeless people and homeless children. Meanwhile, "everyone has the right to health protection and medical care" (from Article 41 of the Constitution Russian Federation). Of the outpatient facilities, the most accessible for the homeless are anti-tuberculosis and dermatological and venereal dispensaries.

The Russian "bottom" is socially dangerous, as it is prone to violence. According to representatives of the "bottom", 85% of homeless children and 34% of the homeless are armed with cold weapons, and 28% - firearms. There are practically no homeless children who do not have weapons. Many of them use or distribute toxic substances or drugs. Street prostitutes are often characterized by a criminal past and a violent criminal present. Even among the homeless, there are fewer people prone to violence.

The inhabitants of the "bottom" in Russia are a natural resource of the criminal world. According to the Moscow Social Security Committee, the average income of a homeless beggar is 1,000 rubles a day. This is the basis of their recruitment by criminal structures and various gangs. The collections of "professional" beggars alone are estimated at 1.5 billion rubles a year. Criminals control prostitution, involve representatives of the "bottom" in the drug business and for the execution of "dirty and dangerous work". Approximately 73% of prostitutes, 50% of homeless people and 48% of homeless children stated this. Homeless people are capable of any anti-social actions: they create a center of unsanitary conditions in their places of residence and reduce the level of epidemiological safety in society, threaten the welfare and property of citizens, initiate social unrest Homeless children are a breeding ground for the criminalization of society, a threat to public peace Street prostitutes undermine the moral foundations of society, are carriers of venereal diseases Drug addicts and alcoholics concentrate the most serious risk factors for society.

The "social bottom" in Russia is outside the framework of the laws and norms of the Constitution. "Big" society excludes him from orbit social connections; contacts with him are conducted only through the line law enforcement, the exclusion process is implemented in the most complete form. More than two-thirds of its representatives have been to the police, almost a quarter have served time in prison. "Dno" accumulates criminal experience not only through the direct practice of criminal activity, but also through the experience of people who have served time in prison. The criminal activity of paupers is considered as a factor in the political instability of life Russian society. The inhabitants of the "bottom" are capable of active social action, ready for a social explosion. In relation to the authorities, the homeless are embittered, the beggars are the most critical and demanding, the prostitutes are loyal and condescending.

For paupers, the most hated representatives of society are policemen and officials who are indifferent to the problems of the "social bottom" (36%), expel them (23%), beat them (22%). Homeless children especially suffer: 42% say they are beaten by policemen, 35% accuse them of bullying

The reasons for downward mobility can be external (loss of work, reforms in the country, unfavorable changes in life, criminal environment, forced migration, the war in Chechnya, the consequences of the war in Afghanistan - the Afghan syndrome) and internal (tendency to vices, inability to adapt to new conditions). life, personal qualities of character, homeless childhood, poor heredity, lack of education, absence of relatives and friends). The assessment of the impact of these factors on social exclusion is very different on the part of the population, experts, and the representatives of the “bottom” themselves. The society is dominated by a condescending and justifying attitude towards the problem of poverty. The nature of the reforms contributes to the spread of the opinion that work is not a source of success in life, and poverty is a disease of society, not a vice, but a fate. The most important reason that can bring people to the "social bottom" is the loss of a job. This is the opinion of 53% of the population and 61% of experts. In the minds of people, economic reforms in the country are associated with social degradation, with mass impoverishment, with life's deprivations. The influence of the criminal world, the war in Chechnya and forced resettlement (refugees) are perceived as less significant.

A study in Moscow shows that almost half (about 45%) of the homeless are not homeless. Among them, 24-26% are Muscovites, 54-56% - from other regions of Russia, 20% - citizens of the CIS. About 15% of the temporarily homeless are refugees. The third part of those who actually do not have a home are former prisoners. Every year, the police detain about 5,000 people for violating the rules of registration. a homeless person practically cannot legalize himself. It shapes large group"illegally" living in Moscow, which is a large transit hub.

The positions of the population, experts and representatives of the "social bottom" in relation to the problems of pauperism are different. They are determined by their social status, social roles and socio-cultural attitudes. There are also obvious differences in the ways of counteracting the downward flow of the population relative to the social pyramid. Representatives of the "bottom" either blame the circumstances of life, society and the state, or consider the causes as a fatal result (fate, bad luck). For 38% of the poor main reason- fate, for 38% of the homeless - drunkenness, for 33% of prostitutes and 55% of the homeless - unlucky parents. People have resigned themselves to the fact that the reform is sucking into the social bottom ever wider sections of the population. They do not hope for help and believe that belonging to these social groups dooms them to poverty and degradation.

Analysis of the results of the study made it possible to identify five global factors of downward social mobility: political determinism - downward social mobility - the result of ongoing economic reforms, the consequences of the war in Afghanistan and Chechnya, as well as the collapse of the USSR; criminality - downward social mobility is associated with criminality, with criminal behavior (theft, extortion, violence, robbery); personal bad luck in life - getting to the "social bottom" is explained by illness, disability, fate, poor upbringing in the family; own fault, tendency to vices - the process of downward social mobility is intensified by drunkenness, drug addiction, substance abuse, prostitution; social isolation - downward mobility is due to refusal to obey social norms, homelessness, isolation from society, loss of ties with family and loved ones, lack of work, faith in God.

According to the citizens of Russian cities, the greatest likelihood of being on the “social bottom” is for lonely elderly people (the chances of falling to the “bottom” are 72%), pensioners (61%), the disabled (63%), families with many children (54%), unemployed (53%), single mothers (49%), refugees (44%), migrants (31%). Experts believe that teachers, engineering and technical workers, low-skilled workers are doomed to live in poverty (the chances of such a life are estimated at 24-32%). They do not have the opportunity to climb up the social ladder.

There are differences in the causes of social exclusion in different categories. The beggars talk about fate, loneliness, illness, disability, on the other hand, they blame the government that started the reforms. Homeless people evaluate themselves most harshly: they talk about their drinking, cheating loved ones, losing their jobs, and the consequences of imprisonment. Prostitutes fall to the "bottom" due to bad company, lack of education and upbringing. Homeless children primarily blame bad parents, their fate, bad company and bad luck.

1 - Amirova N.Sh. Medical and social characteristics of the reproductive health of adolescent girls. Abstract. M., 1996, p.22.
2 - Study conducted in 1996; supervised by him except the author, Doctor of Economics. A.A. Ovsyannikov and Doctor of Economics A.A. Iudin
3 - This difference is a consequence of the fact that MIA estimates are formed on the basis of registration data, which are far from reality.

poster calling for the murder of Jews. Hundreds of cars passed him, but only Tatyana Sapunova stopped and tried to tear down the shameful banner. However, the poster was mined, and the woman was badly damaged by the explosion, but, fortunately, survived. Later, by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, she was awarded the Order of Courage. In some media, the installation of the poster was called a fascist sortie. How do you explain why Tatyana Sapunova did not drive past the poster? Express your assessment of: a) the actions and positions of those who installed the poster; b) those who calmly passed by; c) those who were responsible for order on this section of the road; d) statements made in the media.

HELP ME PLEASE)))

Western sociologists drew attention to this as early as the late 1950s; moreover, it is quite characteristic that no negative consequences were visible at that time behind this process. Since, according to popular belief, “information is the most democratic source of power,” most researchers came to the conclusion that the formation of a dominant class that is non-capitalist in nature leads to overcoming the class nature of society, making it classless in the future. However, real socio-economic processes are increasingly contrary to such assumptions. With each new stage of the technological revolution, the "intellectual class" gains more and more power and redistributes an increasing part of social wealth in their favor. In the emerging new economic system, the process of self-increase in the cost of information goods turns out to be largely divorced from material production. As a result, the "intellectual class" is much less dependent on all other strata of society than the ruling classes of feudal or bourgeois societies were dependent on the activities of the peasants or proletarians they exploited. This creates the prerequisites for the emergence of another class on the historical stage, uniting in its ranks those who are unable to actively participate in high-tech production. His share in social wealth is steadily declining, leaving no room for advanced training and replenishment of the “class of intellectuals”. This social group, for the time being associated with the lower strata of the proletariat, by the beginning of the 90s acquired a pronounced class definition, and do not take it into account when analyzing problems modern society impossible. V.L. foreigners

C1. The formation of what new class of post-industrial society marks the second? What reason does he give for this class? What, according to most sociologists, should have been the result of the emergence of a new class?

C3. What's the other one new class characterizes the author? Based on social science knowledge, name any two social groups that can be included in this class. Briefly explain your choice. Help with anything! please!

unstable character, is called:

2. social community based on territorial unity is called:

3. Strat is:

group of qualified specialists

a group of people distinguished by their participation in the process of wealth creation

The social stratum of people with similar economic indicators

4. Prescriptions, requirements and wishes for appropriate behavior are called:

social norms

traditions

5. Social mobility is a phenomenon that has more to do with:

To an industrial society

towards a post-industrial society

to traditional society

6. Forms of social control are:

art and education

Norms and public opinion

education and norms

public opinion and art

7. Manifestation social inequality- This:

electoral qualification

The presence of class privileges

receiving a pension

difference in income

8. Moral standards:

backed by the power of the state

Regulate communication and behavior of people

9. Which of the following sanctions falls under the classification of informal positive ones?

10. Social differentiation involves:

immutability of social relations

Lack of social homogeneity

full equality in rights and property

11. The solution of interethnic conflicts in modern world promotes:

imposition of a state of emergency

Negotiation process with the involvement of intermediaries

timely use of force

12. An increase in people with deviations in behavior occurs during periods:

Radical social change

strengthening the state's fight against crime

evolutionary development legal regulations

13. Basic social function family is:

mutual responsibility

material well-being

the moral support

Birth and upbringing of children

14. The main socio-economic indicators that are the basis for the division into strata:

power, income, worldview

Income, power, prestige, education

origin, income, marital status

15. Social Conflict:

undermines the foundations of society

hinders social progress

It is an inevitable condition for the development of society

2) complete the sentence. a set of ethical values ​​based on certain norms and commandments is called ....

3) a form of public consciousness in which the views and ideas, norms and assessments of the behavior of individuals, social groups and society as a whole are reflected: 1) ethics 2) law 3) morality 4) mores

4) a specific property of religion as a cultural phenomenon is: 1 faith 2 belief in the supernatural 3 connection with the world of human experience 4 special measures

5) specific for religion, as a cultural phenomenon, is: .appeal to human emotions 2. use of base symbols 3. hope for a better future 4 belief in the reality of a miracle

6) education in the modern world is distinguished by: 1 an exclusively secular nature 2 general accessibility 3 a variety of ways to obtain 4 an exclusively state character

7) modern education in our country it implies: 1. mandatory education in a public school 2 mandatory uniform training programs 3 mandatory higher education 4 variance (presence of different types and types of schools)

8) variety cultural life society consists of: 1. different social groups 2. different views on politics 3. different incomes of people 4 different subcultures

9) science as a system of knowledge does not include: 1. theories 2. facts 3. judgments 4. rumors

10) for science as a type of spiritual production is not typical: 1. the creation of material values ​​2. connection with mental labor 3. the presence of a goal 4 the creation of spiritual values

11) statements A and B are true: 1. only A 2. only B 3. A and B 4 not A not B
A. the scientific picture of the world is a specific form of systematization of scientific knowledge, corresponding to a certain stage in the development of science
B. the scientific picture of the world is its emotionally-figurative model

12) a form of culture associated with the creative activity of a person to create an imaginary world, reproducing the world in images and symbols is called: 1. science 2. religion 3. art 4. morality

13) art as a form of culture is characterized by: 1. accuracy and certainty 2. imagery and creativity 3. creativity and conceptual thinking

The social structure of modern Russian society

T. I. Zaslavskaya is a modern Russian economist and sociologist.

Russian society consists of four social strata:
top, middle, base and bottom, as well as ... "social bottom". The upper stratum is understood, first of all, as the real ruling stratum... It includes the elite... groups occupying the most important positions in the system government controlled, in economic and power structures. They are united by the fact of being in power and the ability to directly influence the reform process.
The second layer is called the middle one... While this layer is too small... These are small entrepreneurs... the management of medium and small enterprises, the middle link of the bureaucracy, senior officers, the most qualified... specialists and workers.
The basic social stratum is very massive. It covers more than two thirds of Russian society. Its representatives have an average professionally qualified potential and a relatively limited labor potential.
The base layer includes a part of the intelligentsia (specialists), semi-intelligentsia (assistant specialists), employees from technical staff, workers of mass professions of trade and service, as well as most of the peasantry. Although social status... the interests and behavior of these groups are different, their role in the transition process is quite similar. This is primarily an adaptation to changing conditions in order to survive and, if possible, maintain the achieved status.
The structure and functions of the lower layer appear to be the least clear. Distinctive features its representatives are low activity potential and inability to adapt to the harsh socio-economic conditions of the transition period. Basically, this layer consists of either elderly, poorly educated, not too healthy and strong people who have not earned sufficient pensions, or from those who do not have professions, and often have no permanent employment, the unemployed, refugees and forced migrants from areas of interethnic conflicts. This layer can be defined on the basis of such characteristics as very low personal and family income, low level of education, unskilled work or lack of permanent job.
... Representatives of the social bottom are criminals and semi-criminal elements - thieves, bandits, drug dealers, keepers of brothels, small and large swindlers, hired killers, as well as degraded people - alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, vagrants, homeless people, etc.

Sociology in questions and answers / Ed. prof. V. A. Chulanova. -
Rostov-on-Don, 2000. - S. 167-168.

Questions and tasks for the text:
1. Based on what criteria, in your opinion, is this structure of modern Russian society formed? Justify your answer.
2. Is it possible in modern Russia change one's affiliation social group? Give an example to support your answer.

The allocation of population groups to the "social bottom" as a specific stratum is undoubtedly conditional. However, these groups have similar features: they are people, for the most part, rejected by society, deprived of social resources, stable ties, who have lost elementary social skills and dominant values ​​of society. At the same time, beggars, homeless people, homeless children, street prostitutes - each of the groups has its own characteristics; but there are no rigid boundaries between them: a homeless person can be a beggar, and a homeless child can be a homeless person. Nevertheless, these groups have their main features, the specifics of formation and socio-demographic features, which allows them to be identified.

The main sign of the "beggars" group is to beg for alms in connection with the loss of income or its catastrophic fall in the absence of help from any side (society or close people) and the inability to earn them by labor. Three-quarters of the poor live in their apartments (houses) or with friends; two thirds of them have secondary and higher education. The number of beggars is increasing due to the increase in poverty caused by the "August 17" crisis - and due to the increase in unemployment, wage and pension arrears becoming widespread.

Homeless is actually an abbreviation for the definition of a person "without a fixed place of residence." Obviously, the lack of a "roof" over their heads is the main characteristic of this group. They become homeless as a result of release from places of detention, family conflict and leaving home, as a result of illegal housing transactions, as well as due to forced migration (refugees). Two-thirds of the homeless live at train stations, in basements, in the attics of houses and "wherever necessary." More than half of them have secondary and higher education. A new factor in the loss of one's own home today is associated with unsuccessful business conduct, when the creditor forcibly evicts the debtor without any decisions from the legal authorities.

The third group includes only children aged 6 to 17 years. This is her main feature. There are two sources for the formation of this group. First - children run away (leave) from home as a result of conflict or difficult family conditions (alcoholism of parents, violence); the second is the loss of parents (death, prison) or the actual abandonment of parents from children. Street children can live in their own apartments, but also lead the lifestyle of homeless people if they are left alone.

The last group - street prostitutes - is distinguished by the nature of their activities. Three-quarters of them have a home, the rest behave like homeless people. Their minimum age is 14, which is in fact evidence of child prostitution. Alcoholism, drug addiction, criminal activity become either causes that cause a slide to the "bottom", or secondary signs in relation to the determining factors. The identified groups are characterized by them to varying degrees.

Estimates made on the basis of the results of a nationwide study show that the lower limit of the size of the social bottom is 10% of the urban population, or 10.8 million people, of which 3.4 million people are poor, 3.3 million people - homeless people, 2.8 million people - homeless children and 1.3 million people - street prostitutes. Street children, whose share is 10% of the number of children in the corresponding age group, deserve special attention. This means that today, in the context of a declining birth rate, 63,000 people born in Russia turn out to be unnecessary to their parents, and they either refuse or are ready to abandon their children.

The above figures do not match the official statistics. So, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, there are from 100 to 350 thousand homeless people in Russia.

The process of downward mobility is mainly catalyzed by external environmental factors determined by a reduced level of social support (single pensioners, the disabled, single mothers) and social isolation (refugees, drug addicts, criminal elements, gypsies). The psychological state of paupers is characterized by a note of despair and hopelessness. At the same time, the whole range of human emotions can be traced in their gaze: the despair of people who have fallen to the bottom relatively recently and are not yet sufficiently socialized in a new environment for themselves (beggars), the hopeless calmness of the "old-timers" (homeless people, prostitutes) and the optimism of homeless children.

An analysis of the data shows that the social bottom has a predominantly "male face", among them - two-thirds of men and one-third - women. Among the homeless, almost 90% are men; three-quarters of them are people between the ages of 20 and 50. The average age of beggars and homeless people is approaching 45; for homeless children it is 10 years, for prostitutes - 28 years. The minimum age for beggars is 12 and for prostitutes 14; homeless children start at the age of 6.

Among the inhabitants of the bottom there are few people with higher education. However, the majority of beggars and homeless people have secondary and specialized secondary education; at the same time, 6% received higher education; homeless people and prostitutes also have it. In the eyes of the public, the appearance of paupers is one of the main indicators of belonging to the social bottom. Paupers are perceived as people "having an immoral appearance" (62% of experts); "unkempt, degraded" (60% of the population and 62% of experts). However, half of the paupers do not agree with this assessment. Almost three quarters (71%) of them are deprived of permanent housing, two thirds (62%) do not have relatives and friends, one third (30%) are actually isolated from society.

About 14% of marginals live in small groups or colonies, the rest live in families and singles. The habitats of representatives of the social bottom are very diverse: they settle in apartments (of their own or their friends), in basements and attics of houses, in abandoned houses and garden houses, at stations and ports, in heating mains and sewer collectors, in landfills. The most unsettled are the homeless and homeless children.

As sources of livelihood, it should be noted the collection of glass containers and scrap materials, things and products in landfills and garbage containers, the performance of various assignments and the resale of goods. One of the main sources of income is alms.

Among the poor and street children, the largest percentage of alcoholics and drug addicts. Most representatives of the bottom bear tangible traces of beatings. Two-thirds of them eat extremely irregular and poor quality food. But in general, they assess their health with a moderate degree of optimism. Many of them do not use drugs. Only a third of prostitutes resort to the services of medical institutions and about half of them do not pay attention to diseases or treat them with vodka.

Vagabonds and homeless children are almost completely not covered by medical care.

The Russian social bottom is very dangerous. The homeless and homeless are prone to violence; are armed (according to representatives of the bottom, 85% of homeless children and 34% of the homeless) with cold weapons, and 28% have firearms. The environment in which homeless children live is literally stuffed with weapons. Especially often they use toxic substances.

Street prostitutes are like street prostitutes in their manners. Their environment is a zone of special danger. There are many people with a criminal past and a violent criminal present among prostitutes. There are fewer people prone to violence among the homeless. They drink alcohol more often and more than other paupers, but abstain from the use of toxic and narcotic substances. A large proportion of them end up in jail.

Causes of downward mobility.

The reasons for downward mobility are twofold: external (loss of work, unfavorable changes in life, criminal environment, forced relocation, soldiers in Chechnya, the consequences of the war in Afghanistan) and internal (human vices, inability to adapt to new living conditions, personal qualities of character, homeless childhood, poor heredity, lack of education, absence of relatives and friends). A condescending attitude towards the problem of poverty dominates in society. Poverty is justified by the widespread belief that work is not the source of success in life. Poverty is a disease of society, it is not a vice, but a fate.

The most important reason that can bring people to the social bottom is the loss of a job, which means a social tragedy. This position also determines frankly accusatory assessments of the activities of the Government and the President. In the mass consciousness, economic reforms are associated with social degradation, with mass impoverishment, with life's deprivations, the influence of the criminal world, the war in Chechnya and forced resettlement (refugees), which gives rise to refugees, are perceived as less significant.

Factor analysis of the statistical ensemble of observations made it possible to identify 5 global factors of downward social mobility.

The first of these is the factor of political determinism, according to which downward mobility is seen as a result of the policy of economic reforms, as a consequence of the war in Afghanistan and Chechnya, as well as the collapse of the USSR.

The second factor - criminality - explains social mobility through connection with criminals, through criminal behavior: theft, extortion, violence, robbery.

The third factor - personal bad luck in life - links the social bottom with illnesses, disability, fate, and poor upbringing in the family.

The fourth factor is one's own guilt, vice tendencies, which explain downward social mobility through drunkenness, drug addiction, substance abuse, and prostitution.

The fifth factor is social isolation, which is based on a refusal to obey social norms, homelessness, isolation from society, loss of ties with family, loved ones, deprivation of work, faith in God.

According to experts, among the risk groups to fall into the social bottom are:

single elderly people (72% chance of falling to the bottom), pensioners (61%), disabled people (63%), large families (54%), unemployed (53%), single mothers (49%), refugees (44% ), settlers (31%). On the contrary, they have no chance of moving up the social ladder. Only those who have already taken certain social positions in society have such chances.

Today, the threat of impoverishment hangs over quite wealthy socio-professional strata of the population. The social bottom is ready to absorb and is already absorbing peasants, low-skilled workers, engineers and technicians, teachers, creative intelligentsia, and scientists. The process of mass pauperization depends little on the will of the people. There is an effective mechanism in society that sucks a person down to the bottom. The main elements of this mechanism are economic reforms in the form in which they are carried out today, the criminal world and the state, unable to protect its citizens. Of course, the social bottom (on a very limited scale) existed before. However, the reforms greatly aggravated the processes of downward mobility. And now it is much more difficult to get out of the social hole, to determine the ascending social force for the people of the bottom. They themselves rate this power extremely low. Only 36% believe that it is possible to get out of the social quagmire, 43% - that this has never happened in their memory, 40% say that sometimes this happens.

Representatives of the bottom do not consider their position criminal and do not accept forceful methods of struggle. They hope for social assistance and understanding from society: employment and the provision of feasible work, homes for the disadvantaged and food outlets, material and medical assistance. At the same time, a "sick" society sees in the social day primarily a source of evil.

On the edge of the "bottom".

The process of social differentiation is growing rapidly: the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. As a result, two worlds are formed, two Russias, with their own socio-cultural values, lifestyles and behaviors (cultures): the world of the richest and wealthiest class and the world of the poorest (outsiders), officially called losers. All life prospects are radically different for representatives of different property strata - from social growth and official position to family relationships and interest in work. The loss of social life orientations is very strongly associated with the level of income and quality of life. It is here, in the stratum of the poor and the poor, that a special, one might say, new stratum is being formed - the "bottom stratum". That group of people who are already drawn to the social bottom. Here people are forced to finally break ties with the "big" society, they break under the weight of failures and social rejection.

The problem of finding a place in life significantly affects social well-being and the nature of social optimism. If the majority of the rich look to the future with hope, or at least calmly, then the representatives of the poor do not expect anything good from life; their attitude is characterized by pessimism and despair. In this psychological phenomenon of the poorest, one can see the state of the bottom: they are still in society, but they see with despair that they cannot stay here. 83% of the poor Russians and 80% of the poor constantly experience anxiety. They are not so much concerned with low wage how much its non-payment, not so much the economic situation of the industry, but the state of their enterprise. The reason for such selectivity is not even connected with the fact that they live hard, but with the desire to survive. "Pridonye" is a zone of dominance of social depression, an area social catastrophes in which people finally break down and are thrown out of society.

The process of forming a layer is most often associated with objective reasons and shows the nature of drawing people into the funnel of a social day. This includes the educated and the uneducated, the skilled and the unskilled. Education, the level of culture allow a person to stay afloat more reliably, not to fall out of the circle of social interaction. However, in conditions of extreme poverty, a person still falls into a risk group: he can lose his family, drink, get involved in a circle of criminal activity. It is not easy to stay on this edge. People who find themselves in very constrained economic circumstances, understanding and feeling this, naturally experience a state of the deepest social depression. The natural layer is formed, as it were, against the will of people, as a result of the action of certain global forces. The composition of these sociotectonic structures includes economic reform, which lowers completely social estates into the bottom layer. Getting into the natural layer is characterized by a high level of pessimism: people are lonely, they consider themselves to be on the verge of collapse. The bottom layer, as the edge of the social funnel, is relatively small (5% of the population) and all the poor cannot be included here. However, it is in this stratum that there are people who have already begun to be drawn into the social abyss and most of them cannot swim out on their own. Finding themselves on the edge of social degradation, social decline, people most often do not see sources of support and begin to experience a state of panic. The poor are ready to expect help only from God.

The given problem forms a serious threat to social security, affecting not an individual, but society as a whole.

Shot from the series "Black Mirror"

In the third season of the series "Black Mirror" there is such an episode "Dive" (Nosedive). According to the plot of the episode, the main character Lacey lives in a world where people can rate each other and influence their personal rating. To be able to buy a house in a good area, to get a priority right to a plane ticket before a flight, to rent a car, and finally, just to get to a party with wealthy and respectable people, you need a high rating. If the rating is low, the window of opportunity narrows significantly, and the person "dives" to the social bottom - in fact, hence the name of the series.

Do you think it's dystopian? And here it is not.

Great and Beautiful China is already actively building a "social credit" system. So far, this is all at the experimental level in several cities, but by 2020 the authorities are going to create a behavior assessment system for all 1.4 billion citizens.

Each citizen is initially assigned a rating of 1000 points. If you have done something positive from the point of view of the state (for example, you have moved your grandmother across the road or snitched on a neighbor using a VPN) - and your rating goes up: you get 30 points. The rating has grown, and you are given a discount on utility bills, bank loans - at a reduced rate. According to some rumors, even on dating sites, your profile is in priority.

But here you are (for some reason) did not pay taxes on time. Crossed the street in the wrong place. Violated parking rules (minus 5 points). Light a cigarette outside the smoking area... Your rating is going down. The rating has dropped too low - and you can't buy a plane ticket and a train ticket, you can't buy real estate and a car, your child won't go to a good school, and you yourself won't get access to high speed internet! What a convenient!

As conceived by the authorities, the system is designed in such a way that "trustworthy people could travel all over the Celestial Empire, and unreliable people could not even take a step"!

The most interesting thing is that the rating works, even if the person or the company does not follow it. Many people find out that their rating is too low only when they are no longer allowed on the plane. And there are quite a lot of them: according to the data given in the official newspaper "Global Times", more than 11 million people have not been allowed to board the plane, another 4 million people - to the train. And before you had to think!

Why is all this being done? The state, as usual, justifies itself by saying that the people it has come across are not like that. The same newspaper "Global Times" notes that "modern Chinese society is stricken with a disease of distrust - that's where corruption, expired vaccines, fraud, tax evasion and plagiarism in dissertations come from!"

From all this, of course, the state and social rating will save! Yang Lihong, a resident of the city where the experiment is being conducted, also thinks so: "I trust the state. And who else should I trust if not him?" True, for some reason she decided to speak with reporters under a fictitious name, in fact her name is not Yang Lihong.

Sooner or later, this system will spread everywhere. Do you think it won't affect you? You don't get drunk and you don't get rowdy on the plane, you don't cross the street in the wrong place, you pay your taxes on time? You really hope. It's like with "Telegram" and "Navalny's buzzers": sooner or later you will simply be confronted with the fact of blocking the Internet, your child will not be allowed to go to school, and you will not be given a driver's license. You had to think before.