The Appeal of Russian Regions: Views of the Generation Z

Abstract

The article focuses on identifying factors of attractiveness of Russian territories as a place of residence from the standpoint of the generation Z. The empirical basis of the study is an online survey conducted in July-August 2020 among students of six Volgograd universities (N = 974). All the respondents belong to generation Z (average age 19) and were selected by the method of non-random sampling (“snowball”). The participants of the study had to choose the priority factors (based on the author's model) that make certain territories attractive for living.

According to the results, the main factor of attractiveness is the economic one (the level of wages, employment, etc.). Other factors which were named are the following (in descending order): social, geographic, cultural and leisure, technological and political. In conclusion, the authors give recommendations on stimulating the development of the urban environment to attract and retain young people (a proactive educational model, “creative” sectors of the economy, healthy ecosystem). The authors emphasize the importance of a comfortable urban environment to stimulate young people to settle in the region and point out that reforms in problematic areas have effects of systemic nature.

Acknowledgements. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 21-18-00271 “Logic, institutions and strategies of ‘shrinking’ former industrial cities: the synthesis of heterodox approaches”.