Comparative Analysis of Factors of Increased Alcohol Consumption in Russia: Regional Aspect

In recent years, public health has become one of the main priorities of state policy in the Russian Federation. In Russian megacities, an increasing number of people are becoming supporters of a healthy lifestyle, play sports, choose environmentally friendly and healthy products and monitor their physical health. At the same time, the share of those who abuse increased alcoholic beverages remains quite high in the Russian regions. According to the Center for Research on Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets, vodka consumption per capita increased by 2% compared to 2019 and amounted to 4.9 liters. The consumption of alcoholic beverages is part of the culture of many peoples, it is one of the elements of feasts that accompany the rituals of everyday life (weddings, anniversaries, funerals). The State is concerned about the issue of alcohol abuse, as it has many negative consequences for society. Taking into account the high importance of the problem of increased alcohol consumption in Russia on the one hand and the regional diversity in terms of economic development and cultural characteristics on the other, in this paper we will address the problem of similarities and differences in the structure of increased drink consumption in Russia at the regional level. Now we can draw conclusions on the features of the factors that affect the consumption of increased alcohol in Russia. 1. Belonging to the male sex always has a positive effect on the consumption of increased alcohol, that is, the proportion of men who drink increased alcohol is greater than the proportion of women who drink. This applies to all the federal districts we have considered. 2. The presence of secondary education has a positive effect on alcohol consumption in the Northwestern Federal District, in all other cases it has a negative effect, that is, it prevents the use of increased alcohol. 3. The age factor has shown its importance in almost all districts, except for the Northwestern Federal District and the Far Eastern Federal District, this factor contributes to alcohol consumption, but the consumption curve is a parabola, which means that from a certain period of time, consumption increases, reaching its peak( in different districts, this is a different age), and then begins to decline. 4. The presence of higher education has a negative impact on the consumption of increased alcohol in the Southern Federal District, the Volga Federal District, the Ufa and the Siberian Federal District. 5. Being married also prevents the use of increased alcohol. 6. Living in a city, not in a village, has a negative impact on alcohol consumption in the Southern Federal District and the Volga Federal District, but has a positive impact in the Siberian Federal District. It can be concluded that on average in Russia, gender, age and marriage have a particularly strong influence on the consumption of strong alcohol, this dependence can be traced in almost all federal districts, but such factors as place of residence, education have a variable impact, since they give different results in different districts.