Features of building trust in municipal authorities among young Russians

Abstract

The subject of this article is related to factors associated with the functioning of self-government as a social process. The main focus is on the level of trust in local authorities by citizens of different age groups. Research shows that trust in local self-government is closely linked to citizens’ civic activity. However, the analysis reveals an interesting situation: young Russians under the age of 25, despite their generally low interest in the socio-political aspects of society, demonstrate a higher level of trust in municipal authorities compared to representatives of other age groups. To study the specifics of the situation in more depth, the author of the article used an approach based on the generational characteristics of Russian society. The aim of the study is to identify the factors that motivate Russians under the age of 25 to trust municipal authorities more than representatives of other age groups. The authors of the article hypothesise that people of different ages may have different preferences for sources of information that shape their attitude towards local self-government, and this affects the level of trust. To test this hypothesis, data from representative population surveys conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the FCTAS RAS in 2016, 2018, and 2021 were used. The analysis of the surveys showed that contemporary Russian youth have a weak understanding of municipal authorities and how they operate in practice. Young people are not interested in traditional mass media through which the main information about municipal authorities is conveyed;instead, they rely on the opinions of people in their social circles. Young people have limited opportunities to obtain information about the activities of municipal authorities directly, as due to their age they have little experience of direct interaction with them. Therefore, an important source of information about municipal authorities for young people becomes observing how the activities of municipal authorities impact their local community. Significant part of young people are satisfied with the results of the activities of local authorities that they can observe. This satisfaction likely contributes to a higher level of trust in municipal authorities among this age group.