Public leisure practices in Russia: Status distinctions and structural features

Abstract

This paper focuses on the structure of public leisure practices in Russia. The interest in this topic is based on the idea that lifestyle can reflect social structure of society. Public leisure activities are considered to be the field of symbolic inequality where the stratification system is manifested. Existing literature indicates three different approaches to describe the structure of leisure. At the same time, the majority of studies are focused on one particular form of leisure such as cultural consumption, sports or gastronomic preferences while neglecting the structure of leisure activities on the whole. Furthermore, the results of the analysis of the impact of social determinants vary depending on the social context. The aim of this study is to reveal the structure of public leisure practices in Russia as well as social characteristics that shape these leisure practices. The study is based on the data provided by the Public Opinion Foundation. Using latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression, the author offers five repertoires of leisure activities. The study shows that income, education, age and place of living also shape the leisure patterns.