Sociological measurement of the effectiveness of state national policy in the Russian region: Theory and practice

The article is devoted to measuring the effectiveness of the state national policy in Saratov region by means of using sociological methods and practices. The most commonly used method of obtaining social information in such studies was the combination of quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (expert survey) methods. The study revealed a number of trends in the development of the ethno-confessional situation in Saratov region. The results of the mass survey indicate a low and increasingly declining level of both national and religious conflicts in Saratov region. One of the indicators of religious and national tolerance is the characterization of emotional expression towards the representatives of different beliefs and nationalities. The analysis of these data confirms the above-described trends. A general assessment of the dynamics of interethnic relations in Saratov region also allows to speak about stability. The survey of experts made it possible to more thoroughly analyze the state of ethno-confessional relations and state national policy in this field. The significant differences in the general assessments of inter-ethnic relations in the regional context, public organizations and authorities in the field of the implementation of ethno-confessional policy between the respondents-representatives of authorities and the respondents-representatives of public organizations and the scientific community were revealed. The fundamental agreement was achieved on the current state of interethnic relations in Saratov region regarding the ethno-political situation on the part of the state authorities. The modern ethnopolitical situation is assessed as a stable and relatively calm one.