Babak O. Income Differential as a Factor of Social Tension

Income Differential as a Factor of Social Tension.This thesis analyses the impact of income differential upon the level of social tension in a contemporary society. Considering that most of the general public perceive the manifestations of inequality, the social conflict in Ukrainian society should be seen as one between those who adjusted to the new realities and those who failed to adapt to a market society rather than between the rich and the poor. There is a certain level of social tension in contemporary Ukrainian society. It manifests itself in latent hostility of various social groups to one another (the emotional aspect of social tension) and a gap in values of these social groups that reflect different understandings of wealth distribution. However the level of dissatisfaction of the existing system of wealth distribution is quite low. That means there is limited potential for active protest action at least at the national level.