The focus of the present article is on the health of adolescents, born in one of the most dramatic periods of Russian history, at the beginning of the 1990s, a period characterized by a worsening of the conditions of life, a breakdown of the established stereotypes, social stratification, an upsurge of corruption, and the moral degradation of…

It is commonly assumed that better living standards will boost subjective well-being. The post-apartheid South African government subscribes to this idea; its social policies aim to provide "a better life for all". Since the coming of democracy in 1994, the state has built over 3 million houses and supplied electricity and clean water to…

After the fall of the Soviet Union and its transition in the 1990s towards a democratic form of government, Mongolia was forced to embark upon a complete series of reforms within society, including within its education sector. Mongolia's higher education sector was significantly affected by this change. Private higher education institutions…

Who are the satisfied South Africans 10 years into democracy? How do material factors contribute to their life satisfaction? These are the questions addressed in this paper. Earlier South African research has consistently found a close positive relationship between life satisfaction and material standards of living in the apartheid and…

In June and July 2004, the Institute for Comprehensive Social Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Russian Federation office of the F. Ebert Foundation, carried out a repeat survey on the topic of "Citizens of the New Russia: How Do They Feel about Themselves, and What Society Would They Like to Live…

In Germany, processes can be observed that have long been out of keeping with the principle of equality of opportunity. Unemployment is concentrated in the structurally weak peripheral areas, in Eastern Germany in particular; emigration of young and better-educated people to the West is not diminishing, but contrary to expectation is again on the…

A series of surveys taken from 1953-73 assessed postwar attitudes of the Japanese toward religion, tradition, culture, politics, and aesthetics. Findings indicate that Japanese attitudes have become more oriented to the individual than to society. Available from: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, DC…

Reports some major findings of a study by the Urban Institute which collected and displayed available social and economic measurements that would give a balanced picture of the status of blacks and whites in the 1960-68 period. (Author/JM)

The social changes that have taken place in the past fifteen years have had a powerful effect on the life trajectories and social expectations of people in different age groups in Russia. For the most part there are two terms that are used to identify these groups: age cohort (or age group) and generation. But the use of these terms in…

Change and persistent problems in the quality of life of open-country families (n=317) in four eastern Kentucky counties (Harlan, Perry, Whitley, and Wolfe) were examined via comparison of data derived from surveys of household heads in 1961 and 1973. The 1961 survey provided data on occupations, income, level of living, and opinions re: the…