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Searching for a complex indicator of welfare

https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2025-10-62-84

Abstract

The paper presents a critical analysis of existing indicators of public welfare and summarizes the methodological and empirical experience of welfare assessments based on statistical and survey data. A composite index of welfare is introduced, based on data on Russia from 2006 to 2023. The index considers both objective and subjective (survey) indicators in five categories: material well-being, employment, health, social connections, and favorable environment. The analysis of the index’s dynamics reveals periods of growth (2006—2013, 2015—2021, 2023) and decline (2014, 2022). Favorable environment and health were identified as the categories that caused its greatest decrease. Thus, the complex index of welfare can become an informative indicator of both individuals’ objective and subjective well-being. It can also be used to assess progress in addressing the challenges of improving the well-being of the population as one of the national development goals. 

About the Authors

O. N. Antipina
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation

Olga N. Antipina

Moscow



N. A. Miklashevskaya
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation

Nina A. Miklashevskaya

Moscow



E. A. Orlova
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation

Elizaveta A. Orlova

Moscow



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Antipina O.N., Miklashevskaya N.A., Orlova E.A. Searching for a complex indicator of welfare. Voprosy Ekonomiki. 2025;(10):62-84. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2025-10-62-84

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