MIDDLE CLASS: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND CRITERIA FOR DETERMINATION, THE RESULTS OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN

The paper focuses on the differentiation of the middle class. The authors study the main approaches used to define the middle class, based on foreign and domestic theory; present various views on the social structure of the society, and criteria for systematization from the point of view of their evolution and continuity. A brief overview presents the formation of the middle class from ancient times to the present. The paper describes classical and modern criteria for determination of the middle class, its main components in modern society, emphasizes its functional role – to stabilize and facilitate social progress.

The authors analyze the features of the Russian middle class formation. When determining the middle class, the scientists take into account four criteria: education is not lower than secondary; monthly income per capita is median or higher in the Russian Federation and each region; nonphysical nature of work; self-identification is not below 4 or 5 on a 10-point scale.

The paper provides the results of applied research in the Republic of Tatarstan and specifies the approaches to the definition of the middle class on the regional level. As a part of these studies, there is a division into the proper middle class and middle-class core. The middle class is understood as respondents with the “monthly income” as a key criterion, and the middle-class core is distinguished according to such criteria as: education, self-identification, type of work and trust in the government. As a result, the amount of middle class in Russia according to the experts varies from 3 % (“the ideal middle class”) to 30–60 % (“prospective middle class”).