Факторы формирования доверия к местной власти в Российской Федерации на современном этапе

Abstract

Introduction: the population’s trust in the authorities is the basis of socio-political stability and the consolidation of public interests. The involvement of residents in the problems of local communities and the interest in developing the space of their residence form the foundation for trusting interaction between the population and the authorities based on confidence and positive expectations of each other’s actions. Objectives: to assess the level of trust in local authorities, analyze the development of the territorial identity of Russian cities residents and determine its role in the formation of trust. Methods: questionnaire survey of the population in Russian cities. The final sample includes 53 regions of the Russian Federation with 587 respondents. The study was exploratory in nature. Results: the level of trust in local authorities is centered in the range of low and medium scores. The most negative situation with the level of trust is revealed in small towns. Despite the low level of trust, Russian cities residents are characterized by involvement in the local communities’ agenda, actualization of information needs, and interest to the activities of municipal leaders. A high level of the citizens’ territorial identity development has been identified, both in terms of its emotional (a sense of community, empathy for the problems of their native city), and activity (initiative, the desire to improve the local communities life) content. The study confirmed the hypothesis that there exists a relationship between the stability of solidarity values, the development of territorial identity and the formation of trust. Conclusions: the territorial identity of citizens can be considered as a source of trust development, which allows the formation of stable social ties, the readiness for interaction of social actors in local communities. At the same time, the leaders of local self-government bodies can, with maximum efficiency, convert the potential of residents’ solidarity into the development of trust, using such mechanisms as the formation of territorial communities, including digital ones, the consolidation of entrepreneurial, professional and neighborhood interaction networks, self-organization of citizens, event-filled public life, updating information and communication links.