Housing Ownership and Housing Satisfaction in Russian Regions

The housing status is surely included in the list of criteria that indicate the material success of the individual and/or family. The mass privatization of housing in Russia has not solved the housing problem. The housing affordability has changed in recent years in both quantitative and qualitative characteristics. Most families in Ulyanovsk (92%) are provided with their own housing. The remaining 8% of families live in dormitories or rent. Housing ownership is usually the result of longterm life savings. Rented accommodation is more typical for the initial stage of the family life cycle. Now it is related not only with age, but also with the territorial mobility of young people [Karavayeva, 2015]. For middle cities natives - mobility to metropolises; for residents of small towns - to middle cities. All families can be divided into three groups by the criterion of "satisfaction with housing": "Fully satisfied" (a fifth); "Partially satisfied" (a half); "Unsatisfied" (a quarter). Dissatisfaction with housing conditions is caused by range of reasons. At first, ecological and geographical reasons(61%): distant place of residence; ecological problems; lack of green zones. Secondly, the social and functional reasons (43%): dissatisfaction with type of building (material, technology), state of house, heating, elevator, water supply. These problems are extremely important for the decrepit houses, where mostly low-income families live. Thirdly, quantitative reasons (30%): dissatisfaction with the housing area (especially for young families, parents with children) and the number of people living (more often for large, multi-generational families). The observed level of housing satisfaction shows that regardless the significant share of the homeownership, the improving of qualitative characteristics and comfort of housing deserves more attention.