Youth challenge in the Russian periphery: The situation of youth in Karelia, Komi, Udmurtia, Mari El and Mordovia

Abstract

The article analyzes the views developed and positions taken by young people from the so-called “Finno-Ugric republics” of the Russian Federation. This analysis is based on a series of surveys conducted in the five republics in 2020, as well as on official statistics and other materials. It is shown that the multilateral crisis that takes place in these republics has a serious impact on the positions and orientations of the young people and it results in an increase of their protest sentiments, a decrease of their trust in regional and federal political institutions as well as other negative phenomena. The mass migration of young people away from their republics represents the main form of their protest. At the same time, a rather high degree of the young people’s readiness for active protest actions has been recorded. The significance of ethnicity for the social and cultural positioning of the young people is minimal. Ethnic conflicts do occur, but they are mostly of a routine and latent nature. Generally, young people support the idea of equality of representatives of all ethnic groups in the political and social life of the republics. The few ethnic prejudices present among the youth are more likely to be a consequence of the lack of an active integration policy in the regions rather than a result of an ethnic nationalist ideology or propaganda spread by ideologists and activists of ethnic movements. The majority of young people are not interested in ethnic organizations, and the influence of the older generation and its values (including the values of traditional culture) is limited, because the cultural environment of young people is formed primarily under the influence of information communication networks and Internet resources. Ethnic ideals and values do not fit into this space, which explains why the ethnic movements of the Finno-Ugric peoples lack a youth audience.