Living standard of pensioners of the Komi Republic: dynamics of indicators and subjective estimates

The paper deals with the estimation of the living standard of retirement age people in the Komi Republic. In conditions of acceleration of ageing of the country population, going by especially considerable rates in the North, this theme is of great interest.The tendencies of the average level of retirement pension in comparison with dynamics of consumer prices inflation, correlation of pension with average wages of working people and the living wage of a pensioner in the Russian Federation and the Komi Republic are considered. The dynamics of pension security indicators testifies to increase of the living standard of the Russian pensioners. With that, in the 2000-s there was more significant improvement of situation in the Komi Republic.On materials of sociological research “The problems of the third age” the subjective estimates of living standard, sources of income and character of occupation of the people of retirement age were revealed. Subjective estimates comply with objective data: elderly people on the average do not feel themselves so poor as is often considered. About two-thirds of respondents have estimated the level of incomes as sufficient and acceptable. At the same time the share of working pensioners is increasing. In our opinion, this is the consequence of increased activity of the population of the third age, the reflection of their desire to realize their resource potential more fully. The most significant determinants for labor and public activity of elderly people are the age, level and attitude to education.