The monograph is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Institute of Social and Economic Development of the Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The book is based on the results of sociological research of the Institute, presented in dynamics for the period from 1990 to 2014. and in comparison with other similar studies of public opinion (IS RAS, VTsIOM, Levada Center and others). The book shows the perspective of the current state of Russian society . The transformation of internal characteristics of society and external conditions of social reality is considered Long-term observations of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Socio-Economic Development of the Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences , What will be discussed in this book , Let's shed some light on ,. What is a modern Russian society , What He Wants (CM) It is not ,. What is the future of .? The book provides an analysis of the specific characteristics of the Vologda region as a social space and an object of sociological cognition. The results of the analysis of the main results of the key thematic areas of research of the ISERT RAS, giving an idea of the current state of the regional community, the dynamics of its change and prospects for further development are shown. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of the sociological direction of the Institute as one of the examples of a scientific approach to the study of trends in social development and the evaluation of the effectiveness of public administration. The book is intended for researchers, sociologists, specialists of federal, regional and municipal government bodies, teachers of higher educational institutions, students, as well as a wide range of readers interested in the problems of territorial development.