Dynamics of Russians’ Attitudes and Consolidation Potential of Society

Abstract

A collective monograph “Russian Society and the Challenges of the Time. Vol. 7” (editors — Mikhail K. Gorshkov and Natalia Ye. Tikhonova) will be published by the Institute of Sociology FCTAS RAS in late 2023. The volume is devoted to the transformation of spiritual, psychological, ideological, and other components of mass consciousness, as well as their impact on the consolidation of society in contemporary conditions. “Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes” journal publishes an excerpt from this book focused on the attitudes, norms and values of Russians and the nature of their dynamics over the past 20 years. In connection with the issues of the value split in contemporary Russian society and the development potential for social consolidation, the published fragment analyzes the dynamics of attitudes toward traditions and various indicators of Russian agency, such as the perception of one’s self as independent or dependent on the state, external/internal locus of control, and willingness to fight for one’s rights.

Based on data from many years of empirical research carried by the FCTAS RAS, the author reveals the growing value of traditions in Russian society and discusses their new interpretation in the context of Russia’s confrontation with the West, and the desire to join the consolidated majority. At the same time, there is a low consistency of indicators characterizing the willingness to take responsibility and fight for one’s interests, the choice between personal and public interests, and attitudes toward “ideal democracy” or “strong state”. The overall trend of sociopolitical consolidation might be weakened by all of this.

Acknowledgements. The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 20-18-00505 entitled “Mass Attitudes, Values and Beliefs as Factors Offsetting Sociocultural Challenges and Threats to Social Cohesion in Contemporary Russian Society” (supervisor — Mikhail K. Gorshkov, Doctor of Philosophy, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences).