RUDN journal of Sociology (Dec 2016)
Social and electoral preferences and orientations of the youth aged 18-20
Abstract
The article is based on the results of the survey conducted among 500 university students in May-June 2016 to identify the sources and factors influencing the content and structure of the youth perception of the nowadays world order in terms of its justice/injustice and the dominant supporters of democracy in the world. The author focus on the conditions, in which the student youth perception of the crucial political event of this year (forthcoming elections) is formed. Based on the results of the research in the theoretical and applied aspects the author suggests discussing the following issues: if the contemporary world stays unfair and contradictory, the Russian youth will stay purely apolitical for the youth indifference to political processes and events finds justification and explanation in the existing social-political order. However, the world is diverse, possesses the hidden potential for changes and cries out for an upgrade. On the one hand, this implicitly implies conditions for violent, explosive and chaotic reactions of the youth; on the other hand, in some situations prevents and in others stimulates independent estimates of political events. Unfortunately, this process remains too bureaucratic and declarative, or is not controlled, managed and organized by the relevant social and political forces, which prevents the youth from making independent political estimates. At the same time the non-systemic opposition bets on the youth part of society and tries to introduce into the political discourse and seduce the youth with the word “revolution” and the slogan “what unites us is more important than differences”.
