CROWDFUNDING SYSTEMS: evaluation and government regulation in the conditions of reengineering

something, or they will not be able to cope with such expenses at all. It is also interesting that the personal savings rate in the United States was 13.3% in 1971, and since 2005 it has been 2 to 3%. Only in 2014, this figure rose to 5.1% ( ɍɝɨɥɶɤɨɜɚ and Ɋɟɜɟɪɟɧɞɚ , 2016). According to the Pew Research Center, the middle class in the US is 37%. In France, it is believed that there are 30% of the poor and 20% of the rich. Thus, the middle class forms an intermediate core with 50% of the population. The vast majority of French people (66%) say they belong to this category. This figure is higher than the real one, due to the desire to become part of the privileged. So, we can say that countries that are leaders in the number and volume of crowdfunding activities are characterized by a significant share of the middle class in their total population. In Ukraine, more than 50% of Ukrainians consider themselves to be representatives of the middle class, as evidenced by various sociological surveys. Thus, according to the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the share of the middle class in Ukraine is 22%, more than 85% of them have their own homes, 64% of them have own car, 31% of them are traveling abroad for vocation ( ɒɭɥɶɝɿɧ , 2009). However, according to experts who analyze other characteristics of the middle class (not a financial aspect), such as economic independence, high self-esteem and awareness of their importance in public life, only 10% of the population can be attributed to the middle class in Ukraine ( ɍɝɨɥɶɤɨɜɚ and Ɋɟɜɟɪɟɧɞɚ , 2016). So, to objectively assess the number of representatives of the middle class, it is advisable to determine the main criteria for assigning the population to this class. Even in the United States, the issue of the middle class is very impor- tant. It is worth noting that immediately after B. Obama took office in 2009, he created a target group whose research focused on improving the standard of living of the middle class. But first, the target group had to identify the middle class ( ɍɝɨɥɶɤɨɜɚ and Ɋɟɜɟɪɟɧɞɚ , 2016). According to sociological publications the main criteria for distinguishing the middle class are: ڰ professionalism; ڰ significance in public life; ڰ economic independence. Other Ukrainian scientists add to the above elements: real estate ownership, having a business, higher education, and professional qualifications, as well as political activity. 27