2013: Innovative practices in Russian households

The results of the research describe five groups of indicators: the use of information and communication technologies by the population, participation of the population lifelong learning, new forms of work and of leisure activity, and the use of paid services.

The research showed growth in the use of information and communication technologies by the population, which is in line with the emerging trend. More people started using broadband Internet. Russian indicators on the population using Internet are close to those of Croatia, Spain, Latvia, and Hungary. However, by the quality of Internet service and the intensity of Internet use Russia is behind these countries. The majority of population uses Internet mostly for communication, entertainment, as well as for information search and storage. Nevertheless, the growing amount of Russians use a greater variety of Internet practices every year. The analysis of trends in Internet behavior of users indicates the beginning of a new stage in virtual space development. Users tend to move from adaptive online practices, such as communication in social networks or via email, to using a wider range of electronic information flows, forming stable virtual models of consumption, civil activity, education, and financial behavior.

The analysis of public participation in lifelong learning did not reveal any relevant changes in corresponding parameters. The achieved results enable us to conclude that lifelong learning practices are poorly distributed among Russians. In 2012, 27% of Russians between 25 and 64 years old participated in formal, informal or non-formal education. Moreover, mostly young people between 16 and 24 are involved in various forms of non-formal education. Further training is mostly popular among the respondents of 25-34 years old.

As for working activity, the population is conservatively oriented towards formal permanent employment. However, many young people welcome flexible working schedule. The researchers confirmed the correlation between traditional and new forms of leisure activity. Most of the respondents (4/5) prefer reading traditional printed books, while 18% of the respondents choose electronic books. Almost all of the respondents in Russia watch TV (98%), nearly three quarters regularly listen to music, to audio books, and watch videos. Fewer people play computer games, browse the Internet (40%), and noticeably less frequently respondents engage in creative activities such as art, music, etc. (17%).