Urban Youth of the European Sector of the Russian Arctic Zone: Behavior in the Information Space, Values and Political Orientations in 2021–2022 (case of Pomorie)

Abstract

The article summarizes the data of sociological surveys of young people, mainly aged 18– 24 years, held in the European sector of the Arctic zone of Russia (main cities of the Arkhangelsk region) in 2021 and 2022. Survey was aimed to identifi cation of indicators of the behavior and preferences of the target group in the information space, trust in various sources of information, as well as its personal values and political orientations in the context of Special Military Operation in Ukraine. It has been revealed that the main source of information is the Internet, while information of a political nature is not the main object of interest for urban youth. A constant decline in the youth audience of TV as a channel for obtaining information, as well as a consistently low level of trust in the official media, were noted. In terms of personal values, the basic traditional institutions such as labor, family, love, friendship still retain relevance for the urban youth of the Russian Arctic (in the case of Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk). The amount of income is significant, but not the only main motive that determines the choice of a job. In the special political and international conditions after February 2022, young citizens of the Russian Federation in Pomorie, for the most part, remain optimistic about the future development of Russia and trust in state institutions, prospects for relations with Western countries. In general, the data obtained do not create grounds for assessing the urban youth of the European sector of the Russian Arctic (in the case of Pomorye) as a source of negative social potential that threatens political stability in the macroregion.