The Impact of Objective Social and Demographic Respondent Characteristics on Confidence Rate: Findings of Sociologic Survey

Abstract

   The article provides findings of a sociologic survey dealing with the rate of various types of confidence in the present day Russian society. The author studied the impact of 5 objective characteristics (gender, age, principle occupation, content of principle occupation and region of living) of respondents on the rate of 4 types of confidence, such as inter-personal, generalized, institutional and political. The article draws conclusions about the impact of respondent’s belonging to certain groups, identified on the basis of 5 objective characteristics both on the general rate of confidence and the rate of each types of confidence. In analyzing respondents’ answers a number of paradoxes were found. For instance, a high rate of institutional confidence went with a low rate of political confidence in selected groups of respondents. The author highlighted objective characteristics that exercised the strongest influence on respondents’ answers. Volatility of respondents’ answers was estimated both by groups identified on the basis of objective characteristics and by types of confidence. The most volatile were the answers received from respondents depending on their principle occupation and the most volatile type of confidence was inter-personal. Apart from that, conclusions were made about possible interactions between objective characteristics and the rate of confidence and nature of these interactions.