Activism in the Worldview of Russians

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the social phenomenon of “self-sufficiency” and the development of the “activist” type of worldview of Russians. The authors call self-sufficiency the ability of people (according to self-assessment) to live and provide for themselves, relying only on their own strength, without the help of the state. Attribution to the “activist” type of worldview is based on the installation of self-sufficiency, active defense of their interests, search and development of new (initiative, enterprise). The “ activist “type is analyzed in comparison with the passivist” type (it is based on the attitudes towards dependence / assistance of the state, adaptation to reality, conservatism / adherence to customs, traditions). The empirical base of the article is the data of a nationwide representative surveys FNESC Russian Academy of Sciences (formerly the Institute of sociology, RAS) carried out in 2005-2019 years. The objectives of the study were to analyze the dynamics of attitudes to self-sufficiency and activist type of worldview, to clarify the social base of their carriers, to confirm the previously made conclusions about the socially significant transformative potential of the carriers of these attitudes. The authors analyzed the perception of the carriers of “activist” attitudes of priorities in the qualities of people, values of personal and public good, attitude to work in the context of life success and traditional morality, priorities in the development of the country. The scrapping in 2018 of the previously identified trend for the growth of attitudes to “selfsufficiency” and active protection of their rights was noted. The change in dynamics is associated with pension reform. The development of the Self-oriented model of the worldview is fixed, when the private life of a person comes to the fore, and interaction with the surrounding world turns out to be rather on the periphery of interests. There is an increase in alienation from the state, the formation of tolerance for deviation from traditional morality in order to achieve success, while at the same time the demand for working formal rules, for life according to the law, and not “according to concepts”.