Abstract: The subject of this research is the national affiliation and national pride within the structure of ethnic identity of population of the Mari El Republic. The topic is reviewed considering the ethnic factor opposition characteristic to the region (Russians, Mari, and other ethnic groups), as well as such indexes as gender, age, financial situation, place of residence, etc. The relevance is substantiated by the need for examination of the current ethnopolitical situation in polyethnic subjects of the Russian Federation, and the role of ethnic identification factors within. This article is a generalization of the results of sociological surveys of the first two decades of the XXI century, conducted by the department of Sociology of the Mari Scientific Research Institute of Language, Literature and History named after V. M. Vasiliev. The scientific novelty consists in the empirical material that is introduced to the scientific circulation in such context for the first time, as well as its problematic (nationality and national pride within the structure of ethnic identity of the population in Mari El Republic). The research proves that population of the Republic attends to ethnopolitical values; the highest level of ethnic self-identification is marked among male of other (except Mari and Russians ) ethnic groups (including Tatars), youth between 15 and 19 years of age and senior citizens above 60 years of age, students of humanitarian specialties, and wealthy people.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the reflection of modern urban population of the Mari El Republic towards the interethnic and Interconfessional marriages. This problem is a part of the circle of relevant questions of monitoring of the current state of interethnic relations in polyethnic regions of the Russian Federation, as well as actualized within the framework of studying the questions regarding the ethnocultural integration in the society. Empirical material is provided by the data acquired in the course of sociological survey among the residents of Mari El Republic, conducted in 2015 by the department of Sociology of the Mari El Scientific Research Institute of Language, Literature, and History named after V. M. Vasilyev on the topic of “Interethnic and Interconfessional Relations in the Mari El Republic”. The applies in the article sociological data is introduced into the scientific discourse in form of the selected target context for the first time. The attitude of the modern residents of the republic towards the interethnic marriages is analyzed with consideration of their gender and age specificity, level of education, and national affiliation; their reflection regarding the Interconfessional marriages is viewed taking into account the nature and level of their religiosity. The article demonstrates that on one hand, the modern urban environment of the Mari El Republic, in general, is a vivid manifestation of the interethnic and Interconfessional tolerance and readiness to ethnic integration and intercultural interaction; while on the other hand, in the context of separate groups of the urban population, there is a high level of concern for the fate of the ethnic identity and national culture. The author substantiates the fact that the majority of residents have neutral attitude towards the Interconfessional marriages, and believes that nationality does not matter in the marriage.