One of the main sources for primary demographic information at a certain time is the population census. Traditional general censuses of the population were formed gradually, they were preceded by a wide variety of forms of records, such as household reports, land records, homestead censuses. In 1897 the first general census of the population of the Russian Empire was conducted, from 1920 to 1989 general censuses of the Soviet Union, in 2002 and in 2010 the general censuses of the population of the Russian Federation were carried out. In addition to general censuses, selective socio-demographic surveys, or so-called microcensuses, have been widely used to collect in-depth information on the population by including additional questions in the census forms. The purpose of this article is to review the results of a sample survey of the population of Russia conducted in 2015 according to two topical units: birth rate and reproductive plans of the population and health condition of the population. The results of the microcensus are considered on the evidence of the Vologda Oblast in comparison with the all-Russian data. According to the results of the analysis of the first block, the average number of new-born children per mil (women aged 15 years and older) in Russia and in the Vologda Oblast was 1552 and 1583 children respectively, among women of childbearing age (15-49 years) - 1182 and 1221 children respectively. At the same time, the birth rate is much higher in rural areas than in urban ones. It was determined that among the conditions necessary for the birth of the desired number of children, the most important at the moment were both one-time (federal and regional maternity capital) and regular payments (childcare allowance) and, in general, improving the living standards of families with children. The differentiation of assessments of such conditions by women was revealed, depending on the number of children born by them. According to the results of the block devoted to the health condition of the population, 14% of the Russian population and 15% of the population of the Vologda Oblast have chronic illness, of which 7 and 9% respectively have a diagnosed degree of disability. Almost one third of those surveyed have chronic life-threatening illnesses and note that they need help of other people. The overwhelming majority of those who need assistance (more than 95%) actually receive it. However, this assistance comes mainly from relatives and acquaintances living in the same place (65% in the country, 57% in the region), while receiving help from medical and community workers is noted only in 15 and 17% of cases respectively, which brings forth the issue of quality and accessibility of palliative medical assistance. The microcensus of the population, thanks to the possibility of a more detailed study of individual aspects of the population, makes it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of policies in the sphere of family, public health, social security, and therefore serves as a necessary tool for socio-economic forecasting, planning and public administration
Keywords
russia, birth rate, vologda oblast, population census, sample survey (microcensus), reproductive plans, health condition