Russians’ Ideas about Possible Ways of Russia’s Development: Prevalence and Specificity

Russians’ Ideas about Possible Ways of Russia’s Development:
Prevalence and Specificity


Sushko P.E.

Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia sushkope@mail.ru

ID of the Article: 9362


Work on this paper was supported by Russian Science Foundation project No. 20-18-00505.


For citation:

Sushko P.E. Russians’ Ideas about Possible Ways of Russia’s Development: Prevalence and Specificity. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2022. No 11. P. 25-37




Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the ideological attitudes of Russians regarding the priority vector of the Russian society development against the background of SMO in Ukraine. Based on the data of an all-Russian representative study conducted by the Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS in March 2022, it is shown that there are two significantly different points of view in Russian society on this score. The majority are Russians who are convinced of the non–necessity of implementing an original, different from the Western model, vector of development of the Russian Federation, the minority are supporters of rapprochement with Western countries and orientation to their example in the future. Each of these groups has its own core and its conditional periphery. These two groups differ significantly not only in terms of the socio-demographic characteristics of their members and their values profile, but also in the context of the perception of the decision to launch a SMO in Ukraine, as well as the vision of the key actors of these events. At the same time, these groups are not complete antipodes indicating a potential for reconciliation of existing ideological differences. In particular, they are in solidarity on the need to share responsibility for the conflict in Ukraine between different countries, are not ready for restrictions that can significantly worsen their socio-economic situation, do not demonstrate readiness for public expression of discontent. It is also shown that the final civilizational choice will be determined by the opinion of the majority, which is still forming its identity according to the model of contrasting itself with the “significant other”. This is the “cornerstone” at this stage, the situation around which will determine the further vector of formation and rooting of Russians’ civilizational identity.


Keywords
the worldview of Russians; national identity; public consciousness; the future of the country; civilizational choice

References

Andreev A.L. (2009) Image of Russia and the West in the Russians’ Minds (mid-1990s – 2007). Istoricheskaya psihologiya i sociologiya istorii [Historical Psychology & Sociology]. No. 1: 110–138. (In Russ.)

Gorshkov M.K. (2017) Russian Society in the Context of a New Reality. To the Results and Continuation of the Sociological Megaproject. Moscow: Ves’ Mir. (In Russ.)

Gorshkov M.K., Petukhov V.V. (2015) Foreign Policy Orientations of the Russians: a New Turn. POLIS. Politicheskie issledovaniya [POLIS. Political Studies]. No. 2: 10–34. (In Russ.)

Latov Yu.V. (2020) “Spiritual Atmosphere” 2020: Experience of Analysis of the Socialemotional Self-sense of Russians. Sotsiologicheskie Issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 12: 139–150. DOI: 10.31857/ S013216250012511-5. (In Russ.)

Magun V.S., Rudnev M.G. (2010) Basic Values of Russians in the European Context. Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost’ [Social Sciences and Modernity]. No. 3: 5–22. (In Russ.)

Merton R.K. (1968) Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: The Free Press.

Petukhov V.V. (2020) Ideological and Political Preferences of the Russians: Changing of the Discourse. Sociologicheskaja nauka i social’naja praktika [Sociological Science and Social Practice]. Vol. 8. No. 4: 25–43. DOI: 10.19181/snsp.2020.8.4.7654. (In Russ.)

Tikhonova N.E. (2018) Balance of State Interests and Human Rights in Perception of Russians: Empirical Analysis. POLIS. Politicheskie issledovaniya [POLIS. Political Studies]. No. 5: 134–149. DOI: 10.17976/ jpps/2018.05.11. (In Russ.)

Tikhonova N.E. (2021) Russians’ Perceptions of the Relationship between the Individual and State Interests: an Empirical Analysis of Dynamics. POLIS. Politicheskie issledovaniya [POLIS. Political Studies]. No. 6: 155–170. DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2021.06.11. (In Russ.)

Content No 11, 2022