SOCIOLOGICAL PORTRAIT OF CANDIDATES FOR DEPUTIES OF THE SOVEREIGN-GOVERNMENTAL DUMA OF FEDERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (ON MATERIALS OF THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN OF 2011)

Abstract

The paper presents a sociological analysis the socio-demographic, educational and professional characteristics of the candidates for deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in the elections in 2011. The information base of the article is an open set of data presented on the official website of the Central Election Commission of Russia, containing information on more than 3,000 candidates for the State Duma elections in 2011. The authors conclude that the role of the high traditions in Russia’s political system, the dominance of traditional gender and demographic characteristics of the candidates. At the same time, the analysis has demonstrated the emergence of latent processes of transformation of the social and political structures in the Russian Federation, the gradual increase in the role of women in politics, particularly among the young candidates. The novelty of the research is to study the electoral process in the light of socio-demographic and occupational characteristics of the specific actors involved in the reproduction of social and political structures. A study of socio-demographic and professional characteristics of candidates for deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation allows you to more deeply analyze the images and symbols of the political culture of Russians.