EMPIRICAL STUDY OF SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF CIVIC IDENTITY FORMATION

Abstract

For the effective implementation of the main tasks, content and components of state policy in the sphere of establishing Ukrainian civic identity, it is essential to know the factors of its formation. The article’s purpose is to present the results of an empirical study of socio-psychological and politicalpsychological factors of civic identity formation. To achieve the goal, a system of methods was used: theoretical (analysis and synthesis of the main provisions of scientific and research sources on the issues of research, systematization, generalization and interpretation of scientific data regarding the factors of the formation of a person’s civic identity); empirical (survey, testing by the author’s questionnaire “Diagnosis of maturity and type of civic identity”); statistical (comparative analysis according to the Student’s T-test, factor analysis using the method of principal components with Varimax rotation, discriminant analysis using the stepwise method, multiple regression analysis). The empirical study involved 210 citizens (105 of whom had a low level of civic identity maturity and the other 105 a high level) aged 26 to 58; 122 (58%) women, 88 (42%) men; 116 (55%) of whom were born and live in cities and 94 (45%) – in rural areas. According to the results of empirical research, it was established that socio-psychological factors of civic identity include values (personal values, including pro-state/national values and values of humanity, legality, and freedom), personal characteristics (civic competence, which implies social and communicative competence, readiness to civic participation, the ability to defend civil rights, as well as the balance between individual and group interests, the ability to take responsibility for one’s existence, activity results, and interaction (self-fulfillment) and socioperceptual characteristics (the image of the state as providing opportunities for self-realization and satisfaction of needs). Political-psychological factors include such political views as Eurocentric and Ukrainian-centric orientations and those that foresee the need for greater transparency and certainty of state policy, expanding the possibilities of legitimate influence on the authorities.