The article is devoted to the social well-being of the Ural Federal District population during the socio-economic crisis of 2014-2016. This crisis has a deep, systemic nature, and therefore it has a direct impact on the everyday life of Russians. We assume that basic factors, which affect the social well-being of the population, depend on the socio-economic and political environment of the region. Among these factors it is necessary to single out the following ones: the financial position, the nature and degree of the main problems in life; strategies for social action in the context of unresolved issues in the district, assessment of the economic situation. If there is a constructive dialogue between the authorities and the society in the region, then the responsibility of top managers and officials of all ranks for implementing the adopted laws, programs and commitments leads to greater governance and satisfaction with the life of the population in the district. Despite the decrease in real disposable incomes of the population and other social problems, the study found a significant decrease in the potential protest activity. Factors that reduce this indicator at the all-Russian level are a high level of popular support for the current authorities in Russia along with the rise of patriotic sentiments due to the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation in March 2014. At the regional level the phenomenon of the decreasing level of potential protest activity is explained by the transformation of the management system of the federal district. In this context the authors attribute an important role to the main social institutions, primarily political ones, and reveal the relationship between satisfaction with the economic situation and the effectiveness of regional management practices. Significant changes in the social moods often occur as a result of the resignation of inefficient governors and the implementation of a new economic policy.