Housing Precarity in Russia: Measurements in Regions and Federal Districts

Abstract

Housing precarity has become an increasingly prominent issue over the past two decades, attracting sustained attention from researchers across multiple disciplines. While much of the existing work has focused on labor market precarization and the emergence of the precariat as a new social class, similar patterns are also evident in the housing sector, contributing to growing feelings of instability and uncertainty about the future. As a multidimensional phenomenon, housing precarity affects both renters and homeowners in various ways, depending on social and institutional contexts. This article draws on international experience with index-based assessments of housing precarity, particularly in Europe, the United States, and Australia, to develop a methodology for measuring housing precarity across regions of Russia. The preliminary findings of the correlational analysis reveal a strong relationship between housing precarity, quality of life, and net migration, since regional mobility is mostly driven by people’s desire to secure better housing. Cluster analysis identifies four regional categories—low, moderate, advanced, and high levels of housing precarity—revealing substantial differences in living conditions across the country. The results also point to significant spatial disparities in the distribution of housing precarity among Russia’s federal districts. The article concludes by outlining the limitations of the proposed method and suggesting directions for future research.