Political trust of Russian youth: “Are we heading in the right direction?”

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of the results of a mass online survey of Russian youth conducted in November 2021. The survey was organized within the implementation of the research project “Political Trust of the Russian Youth: Formation Mechanisms, Status, Trends, Systemic Risks”. When processing the survey results, statistical and mathematical methods were used. Sex and age groups characterized by different levels of political trust have been identified. Socio-demographic portraits of groups of Russian youth with different types of attitudes towards the events taking place in the country have been compiled. Women, to a greater extent than men, expressed support for the government course. The highest level of loyalty to state authorities was revealed in the age group under 20 years old. Possessors of low educational indicators are most inclined to give an unambiguously positive assessment of the country’s political course. In the question of the influence of property status on the level of youth’s political trust, it was revealed that the most prosperous representatives of the new generation show a greater tendency than other groups to believe that governmental policy is being carried out in the right direction. Differences in political trust were revealed depending on the nature of youth employment: from the highest rates among schoolchildren to the lowest rates among young people who combine study and work. Depending on the federal district, it was revealed that the highest level of loyalty is characteristic of the youth of the Southern Federal District. The stably observed trend of a higher level of political trust among residents of rural areas and small towns compared to residents of cities was confirmed. The presence of a statistically confirmed relationship between the indicators of political trust and the assessment of the state of affairs in the country has been proved.