An institutional trust as a factor of youth civic engagement at local government

Elena Nikitina,Tatiana Zerchaninova,Nikitina Vasileva

doi:10.1051/shsconf/20219403014

Abstract

Trust in political institutions is the most important component of a legitimate state. Based on the authors' empirical research on the participation of Russian youth in local self-government, the article analyzes the trust in the municipal government in comparison with the level of civic engagement. The theoretical basis of the article is the institutional theory. According to it trust can be considered as an integral characteristic of the functioning of a political institution. To study the practice of youth participation in local self-government, the authors conducted an empirical sociological study in October-November 2020. The data collection method is a questionnaire survey of young Russian people aged 14-30 years (n = 2000 people). The article argues that young people are characterized by a high level of declared civic engagement. However, the level of youth trust in local government remains low. The trust is associated with awareness of the activities at level: the lower the level of awareness of young people about the work of local authorities, the lower the level of trust in them.

Highlights

In recent decades, there has been a clear downward trend in the participation of young people in political processes, which is manifested, inter alia, in the low turnout of young people in elections and a decrease in the number of young people who are members of a political party
The article argues that young people are characterized by a high level of declared civic engagement
This article analyzes the factors that predetermine the trust of Russian youth in local government from the standpoint of institutional theory

Summary

Introduction

There has been a clear downward trend in the participation of young people in political processes, which is manifested, inter alia, in the low turnout of young people in elections and a decrease in the number of young people who are members of a political party This is especially acute at the local level, leading to a decrease in the participation of young people in resolving issues of the local community, and, as a consequence, a decrease in civic activity, the formation of protest behavior. This article analyzes the factors that predetermine the trust of Russian youth in local government from the standpoint of institutional theory

Literature review

Materials and methods

Research results

Findings

Conclusion