Sociology Of Youth Research Articles

Socio-cultural deviations in the regulation of social interactions of young people

Social interactions in the youth environment are regulated not only on the basis of generally accepted models, but also on the basis of goals-principles that are formed among young people themselves as a response to changes in social and cultural conditions of life. From the point of view of the institutionally approved norm, these principles are socio-cultural deviations. At the level of consciousness, they are represented in the form of various configurations of meanings-judgments that are realised by different groups of young people in the process of interactions. One of the manifestations of deviation is the regulatory meanings orienting to separation and self-assertion at the expense of others. The data obtained in the course of a nationwide survey conducted by the Centre for Sociology of Youth of ISPR FCTAS RAS in 2021 are analysed. The links between labour, education and interpersonal interactions with sociocultural deviations of young people in social reality are considered. The incorporation of sociocultural deviations into the process of regulating interactions in the youth environment is reflected in young people's justification of the practices of bullying, provocation, evil pranks and disrespect for teachers as acceptable ways of interaction in important spheres of life. Their use is accompanied by the assignment of certain semantic characteristics to labour, communication and education in youth groups. In the course of data analysis, it was found that judgments about bullying and trolling differentiate young people by the meaning of labour "feeling of their usefulness". In addition, the judgement of bullying differentiates youth on the meaning of "forced necessity". The links of respondents' approval of judgements about bullying, trolling and teacher with the meaning of communication "joy, happiness" and "inner need" were revealed. It was also found that judgements about prank and teacher differentiate young people according to the meanings of education "opportunity to make a career" and "development of abilities".

Особенности саморегуляции социокультурных девиаций молодежи

In the youth environment in transition conditions, processes related to the rethinking of life goals and ways of achieving them become more active. In social reality, deviant ways of achieving goals are presented in the form of meaningsjudgements, reflecting the principles of separation and self-assertion at the expense of others. In the article they are understood as sociocultural deviations. Their formation in social reality is conditioned by the contradictions forming in society. The selfregulation of sociocultural deviations is understood as a conscious choice by young people in their own self-determination of the principles of dissociation and selfaffirmation as optimal, from their point of view, in the emerging conditions of the ways of achieving the goals of life activity. Based on empirical research by the Centre for Sociology of Youth (Institute of Social and Political Research, Federal Research Centre for Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences), the author considers the peculiarities of self-regulation of socio-cultural deviations of young people depending on their age, place of residence, religious identification, family and trust factor. Young people aged 15-17 are more often oriented in their life activities towards the choice in favour of sociocultural deviations than young people from older age groups. Respondents from low-income groups are more willing to use physical force in a dispute with opponents. In groups in which respondents conceptualise family as an instrumental value, young people are more likely to assert themselves at the expense of others and show disrespect for adults in order to achieve their goals than in groups in which family is conceptualised as a terminal value. Young people who do not trust others are more likely to focus on socio-cultural deviations to achieve their life goals, compared to respondents who build relationships with others on trust.

LABOR VALUES IN THE PERCEPTION OF THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITALIZATION

The purpose of the article is to explore the perception of work values as a marker of identity by the millennial generation in the context of the global digitalization of society. The millennial generation, being a significant part of the country’s economically active population, demonstrates its understanding of decent work, expressed in work preferences and value orientations, which, in turn, serves to determine the identity of this age group. Digitalization has contributed to the development and diversification of the employment sector by offering alternative forms, which has greatly changed the understanding of decent work. Based on data from a sociological study of formalized interviews among representatives of the millennial generation (n = 300), the key components of work values and their influence on the professional activity of representatives of the generation being studied were identified. The desire of millennials for career growth and professional self-improvement as the main labor value has been established; we can talk about a balance between external and internal labor orientations. It was revealed that an integral part of decent work for them is the presence of an expanded social package, including voluntary health insurance (VHI), and flexible work schedules. Millennials demonstrate high adaptability to changing conditions of the labor market and openness to innovation in organizing the labor process, which is manifested in a preference for remote forms of employment, opportunities for retraining and development. In the future, it is possible to study the attitudes towards work of millennials and centennials from a comparative perspective. The results of the article are of interest to those specializing in the field of sociology of labor and sociology of youth. The sociological research data can be used in the practical organization of labor activities to optimize personnel management and create a corporate culture that meets the needs of the new generation of workers.

Youth as an Object of Social Work

Young people, their problems as a large and specific socio-demographic group, directions of socialization and processes of self-realization in society study various sciences and scientific disciplines, therefore, the most voluminous, generalizing “portrait” of a young person, a young generation (generation), above all in a specific historical time and in a particular society, can be to present only at the interdisciplinary level, that is, taking into account the data of many sciences. So, in the complex, the phenomenon of “youth” can only be considered by the sociology of youth.

Movers, returners and stayers: the role of place in shaping the (im)mobility aspirations of young people in coastal towns

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the role of place in shaping the (im)mobility aspirations of young people in coastal towns. In the Global North, youth mobility has become a normalised part of the journey to higher education and ‘cosmopolitan’ adulthood. However, we argue that this is only part of the story for young people in coastal towns in England. Many of these coastal towns now face persistent socio-economic and infrastructural challenges. Against this backdrop, many coastal youth feel that they are marginalised within their towns, and that the town itself is on the margins - culturally, economically, and geographically. This sense of marginality simultaneously propels youth out-migration and stigmatises those that stay behind. The stigma associated with staying overlooks the fact that some young people do not aspire to be mobile, preferring instead to stay because of their familial, social, and place-based attachments. To make this argument, we draw on qualitative data we co-produced with young people in two coastal towns in North East Lincolnshire. In these data we identified three types of mobility narratives (Movers, Returners and Stayers) that help us to contribute to the existing literature on youth (im)mobility aspirations and place-based sociology of youth.

Sociocular deviances of young people in the sphere of interpersonal interactions: self-regulation and modelling

In the semantic space of young people, the rethinking of attitudes towards interpersonal interactions is accompanied by the formation of patterns oriented towards separation, disintegration and self-assertion against the background of the interlocutor. From the point of view of the normative approach, these deviations should be considered as opposing the basic semantic foundations of the norms of social interactions between young people. Sociocultural deviations in social reality are represented in the form of semantic characteristics of the goals and principles of life activity, which are labelled by the representatives of the community as deviant because they do not correspond to the basic, collective interpretations of the normal, permissible and generally accepted in the culture of a particular community. In the article, the nature of sociocultural deviations of young people is considered in the context of their deviation from the original meanings that were laid down in the understanding of the patterns of social interactions within the dominant culture. Orientation to sociocultural deviations is presented as a consequence of strengthening the processes of instrumentalisation and rationalisation of young people in the sphere of interpersonal interactions. The results of the all-Russian research conducted by the Centre of Sociology of Youth of ISPR FCTAS RAS in 2021 are presented. The correlations between the sign of trust/distrust in the interlocutor and semantic deviations in the youth environment are analysed, which makes it possible to study the semantic orientation of self-regulation of youth deviations in the sphere of interpersonal interactions. The application of the method of structural and taxonomic modelling allowed us to study the type of self-regulation of sociocultural deviations of young people in their social reality. The algorithms used automatically selected the elements closest to each other by a sufficiently large number of characteristics and grouped these elements into natural semantic unities. The meanings corresponding to the elements are not distributed chaotically, but are arranged in a certain hierarchy, according to the values of the selected proximity measure. Thus, the semantic deviations were studied, which are concentrated in the core of the semantic unity and on its periphery.

Social Processes of Young Adults' Recovery and Identity Formation during Life-Disruptive Mental Distress-A Meta-Ethnography.

Young people's mental health recovery is well-explored in empirical research, yet there is a lack of meta-studies synthesizing the characteristics of young people's recovery. This meta-ethnography explores young adults' recovery during life-disruptive experiences of early psychosis or schizophrenia. Based on a systematic literature review search, 11 empirical qualitative studies were included for synthesis. Inspired by young people's prominent experience of social isolation in the included studies, we applied an interpretive lens of belonging deriving from the sociology of youth. The synthesis presents five themes: (1) expectations of progression in youth in contrast with stagnation during psychosis, (2) feeling isolated, lost and left behind, (3) young adults' recovery involves belonging with other young people, (4) forming identity positions of growth and disability during psychosis, and the summarizing line of argument, (5) navigating relational complexities in the process of recovery. While suffering from social isolation, young people's recovery is conceived as getting on with life, like any other young person involving connecting and synchronizing life rhythms with their age peers. Socializing primarily with caring adults entails being stuck in the position of a child, while connecting with young people enables the identity positions of young people. This synthesis can inspire support for young people's recovery through social inclusion in youth environments.

Respect and Responsibility towards Youth

Youth is a grateful topic and has a rich body of scholarly research, particularly in the fields of education, youth sociology, and political science. However, the recognition and appreciation of the philosophical approach is often lacking in research, politics, and public discourse alike. This study aims to draw attention to the importance of the philosophical perspective. It focuses on philosophical ideas found in antiquity, modernity, and postmodernity (from Socrates to Hegel and all the way to Derrida) that remain relevant regardless of historical time or specific societal forms. Drawing philosophical insights is particularly crucial for politics and education. As Derrida believes, no ethics or politics can remain authentic and true if they do not respect the future, that is, the youth. And in this regard, I think we can all agree.

Global South Perspectives on Youth

Abstract Young lives in the Global South are shaped by myriad dynamics of colonialism, economic inequalities, race, class, caste, and gendered and generational inequalities. In particular, the colonial legacies and contemporary capitalist inequalities within the global order have powerfully redefined what youth lives are in many countries of the Global South today. In this commentary piece, I argue that there is great value in thinking about youth through empirical, historical, and relational perspectives from the Global South, primarily for analytical sophistication but also to enrich mainstream youth sociology itself. This commentary piece also opens a dialogue between “youth sociology” and “connected sociologies” in order to produce some decolonial Global South perspectives on youth. Through focusing on changing youth cultures in India and South Africa, this commentary explores how neocolonial and neoliberal processes shape youth cultures and the many global relationalities, connections, and inequalities that emerge from thinking comparatively.

Kolonizacja przyszłości: Orientacje przyszłościowe w narracjach młodych dorosłych studiujących w Warszawie

Dyskusja pomiędzy zwolennikami rozszerzonej teraźniejszości a orędownikami koncepcji życia jako projektu, tocząca się na przecięciu socjologii edukacji i socjologii młodzieży, skupiła się na badaniu perspektywy czasowej, w jakiej młode osoby postrzegają swoją przyszłość. Jednakże w ostatnich latach coraz częściej wskazuje się, że takie podejście utrudnia badanie orientacji przyszłościowych, które mogą być szczegółowo zaplanowane w jednym obszarze, a nieprzemyślane w innym. Potencjał do pogodzenia obu podejść wykazuje przedstawiona w artykule koncepcja kolonizacji przyszłości A. Giddensa. Analiza narracyjna trzech wybranych przypadków spośród przeprowadzonych 45 wywiadów narracyjnych z listą poszukiwanych informacji ze studentami i studentkami pierwszego roku studiów I stopnia wybranych uczelni warszawskich pozwoliła na odtworzenie trajektorii edukacyjnych osób badanych oraz sposobów postrzegania przez nie przyszłości w odniesieniu do podejmowania decyzji o pójściu na studia wyższe. Wyniki analizy wskazują, że w badaniach orientacji przyszłościowych należy poszukiwać trzech komponentów: świadomości dyskursywnej, świadomości praktycznej oraz bezpieczeństwa ontologicznego, które pozwalają interpretować orientacje przyszłościowe młodych dorosłych w kontekście ich trajektorii edukacyjnych. Praktyczne wykorzystanie tych wyników w polityce publicznej w szkolnictwie wyższym polegałoby na umożliwieniu młodym dorosłym eksploracji pokrewnych ścieżek edukacyjnych.

Diversity, ages, generations: from mediocre specializations to necessary studies for Youth Sociology

Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo é adentrar algumas produções sobre as juventudes e as gerações, tendo como fundamento para análise a decadência ideológica, cunhada por Georg Lukács. Com isso, pretendo afirmar que as bases de algumas especializações contribuem para a disseminação de conceitos pautados por expressões da questão social atribuídas aos sujeitos individualmente, numa espécie de afirmação de essência de sujeito, que carrega determinabilidade, ou seja, estão impregnados de uma ontologia depreciativa do humano.

Factors in the Formation of Patriotic Values and Attitudes in High School Seniors (Case Study of Siberian Federal District)

Introduction. The issue of patriotism tends to be one of the most discussed in official discourse on the Russian youth. Still the issue lacks explicit conceptual interpretation and consistent mechanism of implementation at different levels. The article aims at evaluating the scope of influence of the specifics of the regions, their socio-cultural, informational and institutional environment on the way senior school children understand patriotism, the type of patriotism dominating their conscience and their attitude to patriotic education in Russia. Materials and Methods. The article draws on the surveys of the pupils of 8th–11th grades of secondary schools in 10 regions of Siberian Federal District (n =2 050 people; non-linked quota samples with monitoring age, grade, type of locality and region). The data were collected through direct questionnaires at the respondentsʼ place of study. Results. The article has revealed prevailing emotional interpretation of patriotism by senior school children. The model of “blind” patriotism and its activity-orientated interpretation are wide-spread among school children of national republics, while “constructive” patriotism is spread among school children of administrative regions. The factors determining this split are peculiarities of the environment, values, current and prospective political involvement of the youth, the level of its trust for social and political institutions. The article has traced the influence of the dominant models of patriotism and the degree of school children involvement into the system of patriotic education on their attitude to this system, their evaluation of its forms and methods. Based on the conducted survey the article has proved the consistency of applying models of “constructive” and “blind” patriotism to composite societies on both a country and a region level. Discussion and Conclusion. The conclusions and the materials of the research can be useful for state departments of youth policy, youth social and political organizations, institutions of education as well as for research in politics and sociology of youth.

Protest Potential of Regional Students in Russia: Social Prerequisites

Introduction. The protest potential of youth is a complex, integrative concept that allows one to assess the existing prerequisites for the emergence of protest tension, protest readiness and protest activity of the subject. The scientific problem facing the industry community is establishing continuity between these indicators and predicting possible incidents in the youth environment, as well as significant behavioral reactions to social risks of the environment. Materials and Methods. The article proposes the results and analysis of materials from a 2021 study conducted among student youth in the Russian region (Belgorod Oblast) using a combined survey method (online survey and tablet interviews), using a spontaneous sample, in which quantitative limits were laid for the participation of respondents from different educational institutions, directions of training and courses. On the basis of the developed online form, 1557 respondents, aged 18 to 24, who study at regional universities, were interviewed. Results. On the basis of the proposed typology of protest potential, the regional protest potential of student youth is defined as a “progressive” type – a ripening protest mood, which has a particularly well-grounded discontent and readiness for its manifestation. The regional prerequisites for the formation of protest tension based on the reflection of the social situation, assessment of social security, diagnostics of violation of constitutional rights and freedoms, as well as discrimination of young people in the areas of receiving social services have been determined. Revealed the protest readiness not only to permitted, but also to prohibited forms of protest, determined the indices of the likelihood of the implementation of protest practices by student youth in the region. The protest activity of student youth was assessed as insignificant in the field of illegitimate forms of protest. Discussion and Conclusion. The data obtained make it possible to clarify a number of provisions related to the political activity of young people, to supplement the scientific basis on this issue of sectoral sociologies (youth sociology, political sociology), to actualize the scientific problem of finding and developing methodological tools for measuring the prerequisites of protest potential, creating mathematical models for predicting youth protest activity. Research materials have been and can be in demand by governing bodies of state youth policy of different levels, state and municipal governing bodies, governing bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, youth organizations, and educational institutions.

Participação de jovens-estudantes em escolas do ensino secundário: aprendizados, relações geracionais e inventividade política

This study addresses initiatives concerning training and encouraging the participation of secondary school students. Data originated from the collaborative study Smart citizens for participatory cities (2017-2018), conducted by researchers affiliated to universities in Argentina, Brasil, Spain, and Mexico. The objective of this qualitative study was to understand the “gap existing between youths’ civic experience in the formal education sphere and their lives as citizens.” First, a bibliographic survey was performed on the secondary education structure and public initiatives directed to youth sectors and segments in each participating country. Next, discussion groups were organized in each school, and the students’ sociodemographic data were collected (i.e., nature of the teaching institutions, school year, age group, sex/gender, and whether the students had a paid job). In Brazil, 58 female and male students, aged between 16 and 19, belonging to urban middle-class families living in different cities in the state of São Paulo, participated. Interpretation of pedagogical propositions, school dynamics, and culture intended to train and encourage student participation was based on the sociology of youth and education. How students appropriate these propositions, and the meanings they assigned were also addressed in addition to their learning and experiences participating in school life. In addition to intergenerational tensions and intergenerational inventiveness permeating the actions within schools, this study highlights the critical role adult generations play in the political learning of younger generations.

Learning the post-Fordist feeling rules: Young women’s work orientations and negotiations of the work ethic

Even though flexibility, insecurity and precarity characterise much of today’s work, the promise of self-realisation through work remains as powerful as ever. Following Weeks’ work on the post-Fordist work ethic and Hochschild’s research on feeling rules, this article analyses how young women negotiate the post-Fordist work ethic and its emotional obligations. Drawing on interviews with 39 young women studying in the care and media fields in Finland, the article proposes the conceptualisation of post-Fordist feeling rules as a way to capture how young women become workers by managing contemporary work’s emotional requirements and contradictions. This article adds to the sociology of youth and labour in the post-Fordist era by foregrounding the role of feelings in the production of youth as workers and unpacking the post-Fordist work ethic’s gendered, industry-specific and emotional dimensions.

Directions and prospects of researching the sociology of youth in the conditions of transformation of Russian society

The article examines the main stages, conceptual directions and prospects for the development of the sociology of youth in Russia. Based on the analysis of a number of relevant studies, it was concluded that the study of the Internet and social networks as the most promising object of consideration in the framework of the sociology of youth.

Problems of Implementation of the State Youth Policy in the Reflection of Regional Youth

Introduction. The relevance of the research is due to the modern transformation of the institute of state youth policy, the change in its functions, and the need to reflect on the results of outgoing forms of administration and work with youth. Based on the conducted research, the article assesses the satisfaction of young people with the organization of the main measures to support all of their life strategies implemented by the governing bodies in the field of state youth policy. Materials and Methods. The results of a survey of young people aged 16 to 30, conducted in the Belgorod Region in 2020-2021, were used as the research materials. Based on the developed tools, including using online forms, 866 respondents were interviewed; students and working youth were interviewed through a street survey. The uniformity of diagnostics for each life strategy made it possible to obtain a comparative evaluation matrix in all areas of the state youth policy. Results. Regional Russian youth have given a reflexive assessment of the key problematic points in the implementation of the state youth policy and youth support; their interest in and the potential of involvement in activities and projects related to youth issues have been revealed. A map of youth satisfaction with the activities proposed by the governing bodies in the field of the state youth policy has been drawn. Discussion and Conclusion. The youth satisfaction with the situation that exists today in the field of state youth policy management is assessed as quite low, which makes it possible to conclude that the proposed measures are insufficiently effective and to raise the question of proposing new formats and strategies for developing work with youth. The research materials may be in demand by state youth policy administration bodies, state and municipal government bodies, youth organizations, and educational institutions. The data obtained can be a scientific increment for sectoral sociology (sociology of youth) in the methodological and demonstrative terms.

Youth underemployment: A review of research on young people and the problems of less(er) employment in an era of mass education

AbstractIn this article, we examine the problem of youth underemployment and how it is conceptualised, operationalised and understood within wider sociology, with particular focus on the sociology of youth and youth studies literature. We outline the contours of this body of work, showing how in most cases underemployment is undefined and used as a general term to describe the challenges and inadequacies of the contemporary labour market for young people. Further, we show how despite a lack of clarity, most researchers in this field contend that underemployment is increasing for young people, becoming a normative experience, cutting across class, ethnicity and gender. For some, however, underemployment is a ‘choice’, but as the literature shows, how different groups of young people respond to underemployment varies. In addition, we show how overeducation, another form of underemployment, is being understood by both researchers and young people as a ‘new normal’ rather than being challenged as another flank in the on‐going neo‐liberalisation and massification of education. We conclude with a call to think through the ideas presented and to develop new understandings of youth underemployment that can facilitate change. The sensitising concept ofless(er)employment is proposed as best placed to facilitate this reanimation.

Leisure practices of students (in the context of distance learning)

The article examines the practice of spending free time for students of social sciences and humani- ties, namely students in the specialty of sociology and social work. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the pandemic, and changes in the educational process, namely distance education on the leisure practices of young people. The purpose of the study is to develop a number of recommendations on the positive influence of youth leisure practices on the development of their personal and professional qualities, to identify the features and structure of students’ leisure and reading practice. The scientific significance of this study is due to the comprehensive consideration of students’ lei- sure time, including reading. A literature review of studies by foreign and domestic scientists on this topic was carried out. The practical significance of this work lies in the fact that it can become the basis for future research in accordance with the problem under study. The paper presents the results of an online survey conducted among students in grades 1-4 in the specialties of sociology and social work. As a result of the study, the structure of youth leisure practices and the main factors influencing them were identified. In addition, the current state of the students’ read- ing practice was determined. The research results can be used by universities in the development of activities for the rational organization of students’ leisure, to improve the reading practice of students, as well as in teaching such disciplines as youth sociology, social work with youth. Key words: free time, leisure practices, practice of reading books, hobbies.

Influence of University Education on Changes in Students’ Value Orientations

Value orientations of young people are an issue that does not lose relevance in the agenda of social and humanitarian sciences and youth policy. Students are the driving force of youth. Having activity and reactivity, as well as a certain intellectual background, namely students can stimulate social transformations. The University, as an agent of socialization, carries out not only educational activities, but also pedagogical and socializing work, that is why it is able to influence on the development of values and characteristics of students. The article is an analytical review of the data of a unique monitoring conducted since 2015 at the RUDN University in order to assess the effectiveness of pedagogical work at the University. In 2015 and 2019, 60% of 1st-year and 4th-year (graduate) students were surveyed using online questionnaires, respectively, which represents a quasi-panel. The theoretical framework is determined by the concept of M. Rokich about instrumental and terminal values, as well as Yu.A. Zubok’s and V.I. Chuprov’s concept about meaning-in-life values. The article presents data related to the value orientations of Russian students in the context of their changes in the course of study at the University, namely, issues of patriotism, life values, “idols” as models that students strive for, as well as personal characteristics, which determine the value orientations and other characteristics of an individual (instrumental). The main conclusion: life values and value orientations remain almost unchanged after 4 years of training, while personal characteristics may change throughout the process of training and education. The University can also affect such values as patriotism and the presence of an “idol”. For students of the RUDN University, the questions of patriotism are “difficult”, and idols are most often either family members or no one at all, which is confirmed by data from other surveys. The proposed conceptual model of monitoring may be of interest to employees of other universities and specialists in the field of education, youth work and youth sociology.