ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how social statuses, in terms of demographic categories such as occupation, age, nationality, are related to perceptions of regime change. It surveys: The first was carried out in Russia in April 2005, when 1,600 people, aged 18 and over were selected randomly from the population. Second, in Ukraine, a similar survey of 2,015 people was conducted in September 2005. The respondents were questioned individually in their homes. The respondents were classified by occupation, age and gender, their area of residence, and their subjective social identity. Identical questions were asked in Russia and Ukraine. The results of these questions consider: the social characteristics of the respondents, the analysis of different forms of identity and the relationship of social structural features to the market reforms. As Russia is overwhelmingly populated by Russians, there is no significant national divide between ethnic groups, though there is hostility by Russians to national minorities, particularly from the southern parts of the former USSR.
