Citizens’ expectations from digitalization in the sphere of social welfare and social services

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2022-2-315-328

Citizens’ expectations from digitalization in the sphere of social welfare and social services

Svetlana E. Gasumova
Candidate of Sociology, Docent,
Associate Professor of the Department of Social Work and Conflictology,
Associate Professor of the Department of Information TechnologiesPerm State University,
15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: svetagasumova@ya.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2514-8605
ResearcherID: O-4789-2017

Alevtina V. Starshinova
Doctor of Sociology,
Professor of the Department of Social WorkUral Federal University named after the first President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin,
19, Mira st., Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russia;
e-mail: a.v.starshinova@urfu.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-5681
ResearcherID: Q-1245-2015

Anton V. Bezrukov
Lecturer of the Department of SociologyPerm State University,
15, Bukirev st., Perm, 614990, Russia;
e-mail: anton.v.bezrukov@yandex.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2669-1781
ResearcherID: ADQ-4302-2022

This paper discusses an issue of the prospects for increasing the information transparency of the system of social welfare and social services in the context of digital transformation through the prism of its perception by the population. We touch upon the issues of low informativeness and insufficient interactivity of official Internet resources on such topics, their unpopularity and, as a consequence — the low awareness of state social assistance and social services among the population. We conducted a survey of the population in the Perm region. The data of our survey show the expectations of citizens who are already receiving or applying to receive social benefits and social services in relation to the introduction of new digital technologies in this area in the near future. Citizens want to be able to independently select possible benefits and social services, choose an appropriate social agency, while doing that with the help of interactive services on the official websites of social welfare bodies and social agencies. They want to consult online, have an option to receive all social services in remote format, make appointments with the social welfare authorities and social agencies via the Internet, complain and evaluate the work of specialists serving them online. Citizens also hope to have terminals in public places with reference information on benefits and social services, to receive leaflets and brochures with such information, to take part in free training on thematic sites and mobile applications, to rent android robots for home-based services for the elderly and persons with disabilities, to enter information about themselves into the databases of social welfare bodies and social agencies on their own. The results obtained can be used for the development of information policy aimed at increasing the efficiency of digital transformation in the social sphere.

Keywords: digitalization, social services, social protection, digital services, digital technologies, social sphere.

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Received: 29.12.2021. Revised: 16.05.2022. Accepted: 29.05.2022

For citation:

Gasumova S.E., Starshinova A.V., Bezrukov A.V. [Citizens’ expectations from digitalization in the sphere of social welfare and social services]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Filosofia. Psihologia. Sociologia [Perm University Herald. Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology], 2021, issue 2, pp. 315–328 (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17072/2078-7898/2022-2-315-328