Citizens of Russia on hybrid socio-political reality in the country

Abstract

The strategic intent of the current U.S. administration to win a geopolitical victory over Russia with the help of Ukraine’s nationalist elite is becoming a catastrophic reality, as the Russian Federation’s special military operation and a series of failed “offensives” by Ukraine’s armed forces evolve. Existential threat has forced the Russian state and civil society to mobilize in the shortest possible time armed forces, economy and military-industrial complex to repel the Western military proxy intervention. The scientific sociological information about the socio-political potential and reserves of the Russian society, its readiness, nature and degree of motivation for the defense of the Fatherland are of crucial importance for an effective management of the current disposition along Russia’s western borders. The Scientific-analytical and informational work is complicated by the fact that the picture of the hybrid socio-political reality of the country’s life is purposefully distorted by the enemy by means and channels of mass propaganda and communication in order to disinform the population and the armed forces. The empirical basis of the article is the data of sociological monitoring “How are you Russia?” about the current aspects of civil society life, based on the analysis of which conclusions are drawn about feasible resources and trends in the development of the socio-political situation in our country and the world. Sociological measurements in 2023, compared with data from previous years, allow us to conclude that Russian society has a high resource for socio-political stability and consolidation. Thus, an analysis of the structure of current anxiety showed that SVO did not have a critically destabilizing effect on the life of any group of Russian society. The share of those who believe that the political system needs to be radically changed decreased in 2023 to a minimum (16%) over the last 30 years of measurements. The overwhelming majority (73%) of Russians believe that the main threats to Russia come from abroad. The index of socio-political sustainability returned in 2023 to the zone of stable and sustainable development, reaching its highest value in 30 years of monitoring measurements. The noted positive trends show that Russia successfully continues the searching for a balance and symphony of interests in the modern hybrid social reality.