Regional and Ethnic Self-Identification of Representatives of the «Transitional» and «Post-Soviet» Generations in the European part of the Arctic Zone of Russia (case of Pomorie)

Abstract

The paper deals with the research data on the ethnic, civil and regional identity of the youth of the Arkhangelsk region, obtained during the pilot sociological project in autumn 2021. The results of the survey are compared with the data of similar studies conducted in the region in the 2000s. The low inter-ethnic tension and the relevance of ethnic selfidentification are confirmed. The readiness of the «transitional» and «post-Soviet» generations to accept the formula of the Russian Constitution about the «state-forming people» and the corresponding «de-ethnization» of the concept of «Russian» is shown. Other issue of the paper concerns the theme of the «Pomorian revival». Project data show that in the youth environment this theme is deactivated, the majority attribute the «Pomors» to the Russian ethnic group, and the name «Pomorye» mainly means only the geographical space. Third, a high frequency of negative assessments of the regional economy, social sphere, public safety and labor market, which correlate with the migration readiness of young people, was noted. The destructive impact of these assessments on the stability of regional identity, treated as the basis of socio-economic stability in the Arkhangelsk region as one of the key regions in terms of Russia's national interests in the Arctic, is noted.