Trust in Power among Modern Russian youth: the role of Values and ethnic identity

Abstract

Leading Russian and foreign scientists have repeatedly noted a decrease in public confidence in the government and most political institutions. The loss of citizens' trust in the government has also affected Russia. The purpose of the presented research is to study the phenomenon of political trust in the aspect of value orientations and ethnic identity among modern Russian youth. The study conducted diagnostics of the younger generation of Russians living in different regions of the Russian Federation, aged 18 to 34 years. The study sample included representatives of the cities of the Russian Federation: Perm, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and rural areas. The following methods were used in the empirical study: the scale of political trust, the methodology of J. Finney, measuring the severity of ethnic identity and Schwartz's methodology for determining the value structure. The level of trust in the authorities is at a fairly low level, which indicates a tendency to social cynicism rather than political trust. The ethnicity of modern youth is also at a fairly low level. The results of the regression analysis demonstrated that ethnic identity has an impact on the overall level of trust in the authorities. Values such as "Reputation", "Universalism: tolerance" and "Benevolence: a sense of duty" have the strongest influence on trust in the authorities. The value of material goods negatively affects the formation of trust in the authorities. The scientific significance lies in the fact that for the first time the problem of the formation of political trust in the aspect of personal values and ethnic identity was studied.The practical significance lies in the fact that the results of this study can serve as a basis for the development of recommendations in the field of building political trust among Russian youth.