Trofimova I.N. Social and political attitudes and orientations of today's youth in Russia

Abstract: The role of generations in the social and political changes is of particular importance for the Russian society, which in recent decades have occurred fluctuations of socio-political moods, an inversion in the value orientations of the population, the ups and downs of civic engagement, policy changes. The study of the relation of the youth to politics allows revealing the results of the so-called "generational selection" of public consciousness, which demonstrate the vector and speed of the changes taking place in society. Based on the results of the representative sociological survey, the article examines the prerequisites, orientation, and attitudes of the modern Russian youth in the area of politics. As the theoretical-methodological basis, the author used a complex of positions that substantiate the specificity of political orientations  and political behavior of different generations, and at the same time succession and common sociocultural grounds. It is demonstrated, that in general the youth reproduces the range of the essential political orientations and ideologies that exist in the Russian society. In addition to that, youth introduces the new demands, expectations, motivations, and behavioral practices into the political environment. The conclusion is made that despite the alienation from politics, the potential of Russian youth for participation in the process is still rather high.

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