PROBLEMS OF INSTITUTIONAL CONFIDENCE AS THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE INTERACTION OF THE SICIETY AND THE STATE-POWER ELITE IN RUSSIA

Abstract

The paper shows that the stable institutional confidence of the Russians to the power elite is mainly determined by the citizens’ attitude towards the figure of the president, whereas they consider the state government level (civil servants) to be actually impersonal. The author came to the conclusion that institutional confidence depends on the degree of media engagement, as we as on the activity of representatives of the state-power elite. At the same time, the interpersonal sphere of the Russians’ confidence still replaces the institutional level of confidence to a considerable extent. This situation forms certain challenges for the objective assessment of the effectiveness of the national elite by the population and, finally, creates risks for the legitimacy of the political system itself.

Keywords

• state-power elite
• Institutional trust
• public opinion
• Russia