Comparing the statistical coefficients, expressed through the index relation to the life hardships, the coefficients of most and last significance can be distinguished. Having compared the 6 groups and applying the method of multiple comparison common for all ordered pairs "group - indicator” (total 6*22 = 132 pairs) we obtained the following maximum and minimum relative weighting value: VES/min = -127 и VES/max = +114. Start and final points of this distribution takes the following form:
For the following "group –parameter” pairs the maximum relative weighting values have been defined: "Attitude to financial problems of individual life” - Russian females (+114), "Attitude to sex prohibition” - males from India (+104), "Reflection of infantilism” - Indian females (+103).
The minimum relative weighting values have been determined for the following "group –parameter” pairs: "Attitude to the problem of education funding” - American males (-123); "Insecure of the future” - American males (-126); "Attitude to the problem of education funding” – American females (-127).
Let’s first consider the relation parameters common for all the students involved into the research irrespective to their sex attribute. From all the parameters under comparison the parameters characterizing the attitude towards the financial problems of the independent life have the highest "intensity value” of the relation coefficient in the group of Russian students. Russian students are rather concerned about such life aspects as: their future financial security, availability of the high-grade education, family planning problems, problems of social environment and other global problems.
The basic interests of the respondents from India are grouped over the personal problems. The relation parameters of interest are range in the following decreasing order: emotional characteristics of personality, woman social status, existential problems of a person, problem of personality dynamics and personal autonomy, self-improvement problem, attitude to sexual prohibitions, insecure of the future, problem of infantilism, attitude to one’s own appearance; opposite sex relationships, relations with older people , attitude to health.
As for the group of American students there was only one problem revealed that can be associated with the problems of other ethnic groups on account of their density. This coefficient reflects the students’ attitude toward the pernicious habits (such as alcohol and drug taking, smoking) – the rest is irrelevant for Americans (as compared with the other ethnic groups).
Then what are the problems that do not arouse much interest of the students? Russian students are less concerned about their inactivity, infantilism, and emotionalism; the sexual prohibitions and appearance problem attract no interest as well as the existential problems of a person and the problem of woman social status. Indian students are not worried about the problems of family financial security, the pernicious habits, and are nonchalant about the public sentiment towards the woman social status. The Americans do not care much about the financial security of their future life, about the education problems; they do not worry about independence, family planning problems and cultural environment.
The problem of main concern for Russian females, defined with the help of the relation coefficient indexes, is the problem of financial security. Hereafter, in the Ratio Table, the following parameters are represented in the signification decreasing order : attitude to the education problems, family planning problems, attitude to the global panhuman problems, insecure of the future, attitude to the problems of interaction with other people, critical attitude to the cultural development of the country. Let’s consider the attitude of Russian, Indian and American students towards the life hardships with account of the sex attribute (See Table. 1).
Indian females, unlike Russians females, do not reveal much interest to the life hardships associated with the material security, global problems, lack of education, family planning problems. These parameters occupy the floor position of the ratio coefficient scale and are minus marked. Наибольшие различия показателей коэффициентов отношений этих параметров наблюдаются в группах русских и индийских студентов. There is only one parameter - insecure of the future – that is of equal significance for both Russian and Indian females.
In the group of American females the ratio coefficients towards the pernicious habits and sexual prohibition reveal the highest significance. All the ratio coefficients, that are relevant in Russian and Indian group, are negatively marked in the group of Americans, these are: the family planning problems, education problems, financial security problems, independence, infantilism etc
In the group of Russian females the financial security indicator reveals the maximum ratio coefficient value, as compared to that, revealed in Indian and American groups. For the Russians it is strong frustration factor, while Indians completely ignore the problems of financial security. The maximum differentiation of this parameter is observed when comparing Russian and American females.
Let’s regard the relation coefficients revealed by males and females towards the life hardships and given below in the Table 1, and analyze the generalized problems of Russian students in comparison with the analogous problems of the students belonging to other cultures.
The coefficient, reflecting the attitude of female Russian students to the material security of their life is higher then that revealed in the group of the male students (coefficient values are +114 and +66 respectively). Cross-cultural gender research, devoted to the life quality studying, show that women feel happier when they have good material security. (Di Tella et al, 2004) [20]; Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004) [21].
Attitude to the fee-paying education is represented by the maximum coefficient value in the group of Russian students (+97 females and +88 males). Next come in the density decreasing order the coefficients of males and females from India The minimal density of this parameter is observed in the group of American students, both male (-126) and female (-127).
The students’ attitude towards opportunity to get an additional source of income (extra work salary) represents a certain interest. But as far as this question has not been included into the generalized scales, we shell analyze it individually. Americans both male and female have the last interest to get money paid for extra work. Moreover, American males showed the minimum coefficient among 97 statements proposed to consideration. The satisfaction with the quality of life is predetermined by the high level of the economic development and it is natural that in context of steady economic growth, American students do not want to work with the only purpose to ease the circumstances. But, the greater interest for getting an additional income showed the students from India, first female then male. In Russia females revealed the higher ratio coefficient, together with Russian male students demonstrating the maximum interest (maximal ratio coefficient).
It is obvious, that Russian students are not satisfied with the material situation and such dissatisfaction together with the lack of confidence and possibilities to provide the financial family security in future stimulate the students to work and have the additional source of material security.
Among other statements of the questionnaire the following two can be distinguished as reflecting the students’ attitude towards economical problems: attitude to the economic situation in the home country, which is estimated as "adverse for living”, and the insecurity of the future. The maximum density was revealed in both Russian groups: the maximum coefficient value demonstrated the male students; females’ coefficient value is a little bit lower then that of male students.
Indian students, both male and female regard the economic situation in their country as being adverse. The minimum coefficient value related to this problem was defined in the group of American students.
Indians showed much concern about the actual problem of unemployment, while American students demonstrated complete apathy towards this problem. For the Russian students unemployment is also one of the problems of current interest but it is not that acute as for the students from Indian group.
The problem of the education availability reflects in the high absolute values of the ratio coefficients, revealed in the male group of Russian students, where it occupies the first place. In the female Russian group the problem of the education availability occupies the second position. In the groups of American students the education problem ratio coefficients take the floor position (having negative mark), moreover, this indicator has the minimal value in the group of American female students as compared to the that of other groups. It means, that for the American students the problem of the education availability reveals the lowest density degree when compared with the attitude to this problem expressed by the students from Russian and Indian groups.
Only Russian (+39) and Indian female students (+38) reveal interest to the problem of science and culture under financing. Research results illustrated that the problem of fee-paying education is relevant only for the Russians. Probably, it is the consequence of the socialistic past, when free education was available to all the citizens of the USSR and the right to get the education had been proclaimed by the State as one of the socialist crowning achievement. There was no free education ever existed in the federal sense both in India and USA, therefore the students from these countries do pretend to get education for free.
The attitude to the potential difficulties in family planning is relevant only for the Russian female group, where it reveals the maximum value coefficient. According to the degree of the subjective significance the family problems occupy the third position at the ratio coefficient scale of Russian females (+79) after the problem of the material security and that of education. Moreover, Russian male students show less interest to the problem. The groups of Indian and American students completely ignore the problems of family planning.
The global panhuman problems represent greater interest only for Russian females, rather than for the students belonging to other cultures. American students are not concerned about the global problems against the coefficient values revealed by Russian female students in their attitude to these problems.
The maximum ratio coefficient related to the insecurity of the future, is observed in the Russian male and female groups (+66 and +53 respectively).
The Americans are absolutely sanguine about the future: the students from the USA reveal the minimum ratio coefficient related to this problem (females-121 and males -126).
The research results attest, that the sexual prohibition are mostly relevant for the Indian male students (+104), and at the same time, this problem is of last significance for Russian female students (-37). The moral standards and norms of Indian culture prohibit sex life before marriage. Moral standards in Russia are that low, so the tolerant attitude towards the extramarital sexual relations became a norm in the public mind.
Relations with other people – is significant problem only for Russian and Indian female students (+43 and +46 respectively). While for American females the relations with other people do not cause any difficulties: they show the ratio coefficient – (-30). This problem is irrelevant for the male students in all the groups, especially for American students (-52).
The attitude to the problem of the cultural environment, represented through the ratio coefficients, occupies the higher position at the scale of Russian female students (+39). Indian females reveal the same attitude to this problem (+38). The testees from other groups revealed no interest to the cultural problems, especially American students of both gender groups.
Processing of results with regard to the comparison of the economic development of three countries
Let’s compare the socio-economic indicators, securing living standards in Russia, India and USA. The Table represents the Gross Domestic Product indexes as of 2005 [23] of the countries under comparison (in mill. dollars.)
According to the Gross Domestic Product indexes USA occupies the first rating place and is far ahead of Russia and India. But, the quality of life is defined not only by the level of the economic development, - that’s way America can not be recognized as world leader from the viewpoint of life quality indicators. There exist different rating count methods. Thus, Russian scientist S.Ivasian proposed his method of life quality measuring based on the valuation of such relevant parameters as - health, birth rate, death rate, economic well-being, social security, environmental conditions; considering the official statistic dada concerning the economic growth, subjective estimation of the life satisfaction and the possibility to take important decisions. Taking into account all mentioned aspects S.Ivasian developed the integrated life quality indicator for 48 different countries. According to his calculations, Austria got nine points out of ten possible, France, Germany and Belgium got eight, USA got seven and a half, India - three and Russia – one [26].
According to the information given in the "modern political atlas” there are 192 sovereign States in United Nations rating in accordance to the life quality indicator, which comprises: GDP per capita, life expectancy at birth, government expenditures on public health account, educational level, infant death, hereditary disease death rate, accident death rate, murders, suicide rate etc. Successful, democratic countries such as: Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway, San Marino occupy the leading positions in this rating; USA – ranks 5, Russia – 73, India - 125 [27].
The socio-economic development data hereafter represented were obtained by means information analysis. The information was extracted from the home and foreign Mass Media (The New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004; New York Times, Nov. 22, 2004; New York Times, Jan. 12, 2005; CNN, Dec. 10, 2004; The Week, Jan. 14, 2005; New York Times, Jan. 9, 2005; Arguments and fakts, 2004. - № 24, etc.).
Ecological security level does not specify the quality of life in the United States, while in Russia the factor of the ecological security is rather significant. According to some economical analysts Russian economy at present makes up only 12 % of the United States’ economy. Almost 40% of the general population in Russia live below the poverty line (established on the level of 80 dollars per man monthly). Russia ranks 57-th position in the world rating of countries according to the level of human potential development, while the United States rank 8-th position. According to the data represented by World Bank on 2002 Russia occupied the 78-th position in the world on the indexes of the Gross National Product per capita (2140 US dollars). GNP per capita in Russia was 16.4 time less than that in the United States. Consequently, living standards in Russia are lower as compared to those in USA. Thus, it can be supposed that the unsettled problems of the financial security bring greater influence to the life attitude of Russian youth then to that of the Americans.
The life expectancy level (males in Russia - 62.5 years, females - 73,1) is one of the basic indicators of social well or ill- being. Depopulation in Russia has grown from 800 thousands to 900 thousands of people per year due to the increase of the adult and infant death rate, which asserts the presence of unsettled socioeconomic problems in the society and, consequently, the low level of life quality. Socioeconomic changes that took place in the nineties of the last century, distressed Russian society and led to the fast increase of the cardiovascular disease death rate. The extremely high degree of the death rate had been caused by the low cultural level: drunkenness, drug abuse and traumatism.
The information received from American Mass Media and data obtained within the course of well-known social-psychological research studies testify that the situation in the United States is certainly not that perfect as it may seem. American youth also has life problems, but the attitude towards these problems is not that negative as compared to that of Russian students.
American students do not concern about the fact that in spite of the extremely high living standards in USA –almost 37% of the reach have the happiness indicators below the average value (Diener & Suh, 1997a); they do not care that the United States occupies the 49-th position in the world rating of the population literacy; that in the World Health Organisation rating USA holds the 37 position due to the general public health. America is one of the developed countries of the world that does not provide medical care for the entire citizen, (Russia occupies the 54 position on the quality of heath care) despite of the fact that state expenditures on public health account in The United States are greater then in any other country in the world. America ranks 22-nd in the world rating of the developed countries on the infant poverty index.
American students reveal no interest to the family crisis in USA. That 12 millions of American families – this is more then 10 % of the entire American household, - are constantly struggle for survival; that USA is at 41 position in the world on the infant death rate; that one third of all American children is born out of wedlock, and half of the American children will live broken family. So, the Americans have enough problems, when treated from the viewpoint of the life quality, but the thing is that American students hardly concerned about these problems. They represent the middle class that is not scarce of money.
India, the country with the population of more than one billion of people, is recently characterized by the relatively fast economic growth (Gross National Product per capita has increased to about 3,2 % per year, starting from1985 to 1995). Indian economy made up 30 % of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product on 2005. India is one of the most long-term oriental countries that is gradually approaching the developed countries. Though India is still included into the list of the countries, where the greater part of population live below the international poverty line, it may seem that the students of this country reveal no interest to the economic and financial problems. It characterizes the welfare level of the social classes that can afford to get the higher education.
The number of the native sociological and economical research proved the importance of the factor of the financial security for the estimation of the living standards. But it has been proved that this is not only the importance of attained level of the financial security, but the idea of material welfare is of greater significance.
The estimation of life in general comprises the number of different life aspects, and among these aspects the material situation of a respondent is treated as the factor of the strongest influence [47]. The life quality is characterized by the actualization of the defined norms and standards of the stable state of an individual and society. Decrease of the life quality index according to the data of the sociologic research and psychological testing [24], is preconditioned not only by the low level of the material welfare, but by the indicators of the social ill-being and by the dissatisfaction of life, i.e. it is predetermined by the life problems that are subjectively perceived by the tests. Subjective feelings of life dissatisfaction, negative attitude to the life hardships cause the uncomfortable depressive feeling, high anxiety, and pessimistic estimation of life. The actual life problems bring people into the state of vacancy and anxiety.
The complete dissatisfaction of life forms the unconformable aggressive feeling and leads to the social maladjustment. In this case the permanent tension and emotional stress are peculiar for the mental condition of the respondents. Low living standards cause the pessimistic estimation of the future, and state of aggressiveness together with the state of high anxiety.
Conclusion
Cross-cultural many-component comparison of the attitude coefficients performed toward the problems of life, represented in the collective consciousness of the students from three ethnic groups involved into the testing, reflect the negative side of life and decrease the subjective valuation of the life quality. Life satisfaction degree varies considerably within the ethnic groups, depending upon the different life circumstances. In course of the present cross-cultural research the phenomenon under study has been viewed from the point of the subjective attitudes of the testees related to the hardships of life.
The research result showed that the valuation density of students’ attitude toward the life hardships decreases in proper relation to the growth of socioeconomic ability to satisfy with the financial, social and cultural requirements of the society.
Integral characteristic of the statistical values revealed in the present research made it possible to define the position the life problems take within the system of the national social-psychological phenomena, specifying the quality of life. Thus, India and America occupy positively marked position in the test subsystem due to their economic and cultural development, while Russia ranks rather intermediate position.
Thereat, the number of gender differences inside every ethnic group is much less than that of cross ethnic.
The research results showed that at preset time Russian students are rather concerned about such life aspects as their future financial security, as well as 10 years ago [25], that significantly differ the interests of Russian students from that of Indian and especially from that of American students. Russian students are most worried about the unsettled problems they may face in their independent life such as: pecuniary burdens of family planning, education financing problems, problems of social environment and other global problems. As a matter of fact it emerged that material security for Russian respondents represents the strongest factor predicting their life satisfaction. For the respondents satisfied with the quality of their life (for instance, American students) material security factor is not relevant: when the respondents are satisfied with their financial standing, they stop paying much attention to it.
The Americans realize their frawbacks and faults, being free from over self-deprecation and self-accusation that can hardly refer to the Russians, having the greater degree of pessimistic perception of the reality
Consequently, there is the following tendency revealed in the course of research study: the lack of material security specifies the life dissatisfaction more then any other factor. Ad for life satisfaction it is predetermined not only by the factor of material security but by many other factors that must be distinguished. Generally, the obtained results coincide with that of the west research studies, which many times proved the shifting of the predicating force of the material security factor to other non-material factors, observed when the minimum welfare bench mark is attained.
Life Quality Category - consists in valuation of the general quality parameters of the human life, such as: health state, purity of environment, institutional settings’ development. Hardships of life that the youth experience today, can be regarded as negative side of life quality. Material production growth and accumulation of the consumer benefits and incomes can not be treated as equivalent to the social progress and psychological well-being of the society. Moreover, the material production growth as such, taken out of the strictly identified limits causes both increment and economic disbenefit. But inability to satisfy the material needs influences the psychological state of an individual – leading to the intensity diminution of depth and beauty of life perception, increase of anxiety for the life and safety of the family, neutralization of hopes. All these factors determine the adverse (negative) side of low quality life. It is clear that the way of raising the public revenues from the sale of the fuel and mineral resources and from the lumber-trade, which is still present in Russia, has no prospects just because it moves the increase of life quality far into the future.
The present Russian Government has determined the task to improve the quality of life. Moreover, the attaining of the actual living standards is proclaimed to be the top-priority task of the Russian society. Not to get far behind the other nations on their way to the social advancement it is necessary to improve the living standards. It has been well proved by science that the organization of the modern society is possible only when the integrated indexes of the life quality are duly organized.
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