POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMPTION PRACTICES IN OLDER AGE

Relevance. The work draws attention to the problems of the formation of consumption practices in old age as a fast-growing market segment (the growth rate according to the World Bank is 3 % per year). The aim is to identify trends in consumer behavior in conditions of social restrictions and to determine the availability of new digital social services for the elderly. Methods. The data from sociological surveys conducted in November 2020 (N=60) and in March–April 2021 (N=400, 55+) in the Tomsk region are used as an empirical base. As a result, we established that low consumption capacity affects the formation of consumption practices. The institutional gap has been revealed between high needs for social services and low demand for created social services. Conclusions. Consumption practices in older age are heterogeneous, a significant impact is exerted by a shortage of financial resources and values of helping the inner circle, strategies for saving on the most necessary are formed. The subjective assessment of respondents of social support institutions is extremely low. It is revealed that only in the field of social assistance new practices of remote interaction are being formed on the basis of digitalization of social services. The practice of remote treatment for material or medical care has not been identified. Trust in the institution of state support is extremely low, new digital services do not have a significant impact on maintaining the level and quality of life in conditions of social restrictions of the older age group.