Potential of Conflict Discourse: Politological Assessment of Public Opinion

Abstract

The present article deals with the attitude of Petersburgers to social conflicts, expressed, first of all, in the assessment of the severity of various social contradictions between different parts of Russian society. The research aims to show the threats and opportunities of social contradictions in Russian society. The practical signifi cance of the work lies in the possibility of using the data in social policy and in the framework of civil society. The practical base and methodology of the study is based on empirical political research “Features of Political Consciousness of the Inhabitants of Russian Cities in a Situation of Systemic Crisis: Example of St. Petersburg” (“Political Petersburg-2015”), made on the basis of the St. Petersburg State University Resource Center of Sociological and Internet Research. The method of the survey is a telephone interview. Sample size is 1,150 persons living permanently in St. Petersburg. Sampling is random, not repeated, with quotas of following characteristics: gender, age, education, region of residence. In the study (analysis of the responses to 10 questions from the questionnaire, 20 tables) the attitude of Petersburgers to various social conflicts was fi xed, and hidden connections and patterns in the socio-demographic structure of such correlation were revealed, which, in turn, should fully disclose potential threats and dangers exacerbating social conflicts in Russian society and, hence, contribute to their prevention. Refs 8. Tables 20.