A high proportion of non-substantive responses to questions about income and expenditures compromises data quality, limits the generalizability of findings, and can lead to sampling bias. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of using follow-up questions to improve the quality of responses to financial questions. The study is based on data from a representative survey of the adult population of Russia, conducted by HSE University as part of the project «Household Economic Behavior Monitoring» (Spring 2025, N = 6 041). The first stage involved identifying predictors of non-substantive responses to the financial questions, while the second stage assessed the effectiveness of follow-up (probing) questions for different respondent categories. Predictors were selected using the Random Forest method with the Boruta algorithm and logistic regressions. The results show that the share of non-substantive responses was 6% for individual income, 17% for household income, and 14% for household expenditures. Follow-up questions converted 36–41% of the initial non-responses into substantive answers, thereby reducing the overall nonresponse rate to 4–10%. The highest risk of non-response was identified among respondents living separately from their spouse (a more than two-fold increase in the odds), those unaware of household expenditures (a 3- to 5-fold increase), those with depressive states (18–32% increase), poor health (50–86% increase), no savings, a short planning horizon, and residents of small towns. Follow-up questions were most effective for respondents with lower education levels, those unaware of expenditures, those without savings, and those from small towns. The method is only partially effective: while it reduces cognitive complexity it does not affect the sensitivity of income-related questions. Based on these findings, recommendations are proposed for improving the design of surveys that include financial questions.
The Russian-language edition of Sini?a Male?evi?’s War and Society was published in 2026 as a translation of The Sociology of War and Violence, first issued by Cambridge University Press in 2010. The book offers a sociological explanation of war and organized violence. Male?evi? links the capacity of modern societies to wage prolonged mass warfare to two historical processes: the cumulative bureaucratization of violence and centrifugal (mass) ideologization. The former refers to the development of organizations and institutions capable of mobilizing, disciplining and controlling large numbers of people; the latter to the expanding capacity to disseminate and institutionalize ideological representations that justify violence. The review examines the theoretical foundations of this concept, the historical analysis of military and state organization, the interpretation of nationalism and propaganda, microsocial cohesion, and the chapters on social stratification and “new wars.” Particular attention is paid to the way Male?evi? connects military organization with state-building and ideology with the legitimization of collective violence. The book’s strengths include its integration of classical and contemporary sociological theories, comparison of historical cases, and attention to how mass violence becomes organizationally possible and socially justified. At the same time, Male?evi?’s concept explains the mechanisms that enable societies to wage mass war more comprehensively than it does the causes of particular armed conflicts. The review also notes his limited engagement with the Russian tradition of the sociology of war, especially the works of Pitirim A. Sorokin and Nikolai N. Golovin.
This article analyzes normative perceptions of Russian people regarding the valued personality traits of men and women and the extent to which these perceptions are shaped by gender. The study is grounded in the fields of gender studies and friendship research. These normative perceptions are interpreted through the lenses of the evolutionary approach, social learning theory and social role theory. The agency-communality typology is used to classify personal qualities. The empirical basis of the study consists of data from a 2025 nationwide VCIOM survey (N = 1,600), which asked respondents about the valued traits of men and women, offering a list of 12 options to choose from. A comparative analysis of the hierarchies of male and female traits — constructed separately for each gender — is combined with regression analysis. The results indicate the coexistence of traditional and new gender norms within Russian society, as well as the presence of areas of public consensus and mutual misunderstanding. On the one hand, public opinion is dominated by universal norms of decency and intelligence that apply to both genders. At the same time, traditional male views persist — specifically, the expectation that women should take upon themselves care-giving roles, manage the household and remain faithful. They are generally shared by women themselves. Men primarily define their own roles through qualities of agency and mastery; they mention their own fidelity significantly less often than that of women. Conversely, women emphasize the importance of their own agency and autonomy; they expect care-giving qualities — along with other traits associated with communal connection and warmth — from men, thereby creating a demand for a “new masculinity”. The question of mutual exchange of care as a new “currency” of relationships represents a significant divergence in the expectations and self-perceptions of the sexes.
This paper explores the history of the emergence and proliferation of videogames in Russia. Through the lens of intergenerational analysis, based on representative quantitative data, it examines the growth of Russian peoples' engagement with video gaming, as well as the increasing addiction of Russian people to gaming. The primary data source is the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS–HSE) conducted by the Higher School of Economics (HSE) National Research University for the year 2023. The dataset includes 13,345 respondents aged 18 and older, comprised of 41% men and 59% women. In addition to comparing prevalence of use among generations, logistic regression analysis is applied with indicators of engagement and addiction to video gaming as dependent variables. The results show that intergenerational differences (often confounded by age effects) significantly influence key indicators of gaming engagement, including excessive engagement. Addiction to gaming also occurs significantly more frequently among younger generations. A markedly higher level of engagement is observed among men. However, with the transition to the youngest cohort of “Zoomers”, gender-based differences often diminish.
The purpose of this essay is to provide an overview of the survey industry’s recent shift toward mixed data collection designs, identify the reasons for this shift, highlight the main types of such designs, and outline the opportunities and limitations of their use. This primarily concerns the combination of different data collection modes within a single survey method, each of which, individually, fails to provide representative samples within tight time and budget constraints. Characteristics of two types of mixed designs are examined — sequential and parallel — in which modes are combined to collect a single random sample. Both types are usable in surveys that require high-quality data — with clear descriptions of the outlines of the represented population, the parameters of sample representation, as well as the characteristics of the accuracy and reliability of the results. Also described is a special type of internally heterogeneous compromise design, applicable in a situation when, given a lack of an adequate information base, the implementation of a single random sample by combining survey modes is fundamentally impossible. A compromise design does not so much combine survey modes as it blends biased samples in the hope that the strengths of each sample will compensate for the weaknesses of the others. Compromise designs are widely used in exploratory studies where it is enough to obtain rough estimates of the prevalence of phenomena or features. The conclusion assesses the applicability of mixed-method designs in Russian institutional settings. The transition to mixed-method designs is viewed as a shift toward a reflexive (and less routine) type of social survey.
