The article examines the features of social activity of various groups of the rural population as well as the possibilities of its expansion. The study substantiates the value and semantic conditionality of civil participation, reveals the degree of readiness to unite with other people to achieve significant goals, and identifies the motives of their participation in various types of public activities. A separate area of the research was devoted to analysing perceptions of various groups of villagers about the state and prospects of interaction with local authorities, as well as their views on the incentives for the development of civic activity in the localities. The results of an applied sociological study conducted by the Institute of Agrarian Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2023 in rural areas of the Saratov region (N = 1210) served as the information basis for the current research. The results of the study indicate the differentiation of the potential for expanding social activity of different social groups of the rural population. The greatest activity is demonstrated by workers in budgetary sectors (teachers, doctors/paramedics, settlement administration workers); the potential of unemployed women involved in housework and raising children remains unrealized. The lowest rates are observed for agricultural workers, pensioners and rural residents who are not engaged in paid employment. The authors put forward proposals on further expansion of practices and mechanisms of interaction between local self-government bodies and the local community, stimulation of public private partnerships and active involvement of local residents in solving problems of rural livelihood.