“Youth policy is not an easy thing” – Kommersant FM

They are accustomed to a good life: about 70% of young Russians are not ready to make sacrifices for the sake of state goals. And not everyone wants the country to return to superpower status. These are the results of recent sociological research. Young people recognize the presence of external threats, but at the same time maintain a demand for reforms and the fight against corruption. Kommersant FM political commentator Dmitry Drize considers the survey results to be quite realistic.

The Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies at the Higher School of Economics presented to the world a joint work entitled “Youth and Russia of the Future.” Experts surveyed citizens aged 14 to 35 years in 43 regions of the country, including megacities.

And this is what happened as a result: our youth, of course, understands the essence of the historical moment, realizes that the United States and Ukraine threaten the sovereignty of the Russian state. However, at the same time, they, the young, still have a demand for social justice and reforms. They don’t like corruption yet.

But perhaps the most interesting thing is that the majority of young citizens surveyed are not ready to change their lifestyle for the sake of “strengthening the power of Russia.” Not everyone wants the Russian Federation to return to superpower status. Only a little more than 13% of respondents believe that they should return back to the USSR, and in this they are strikingly different from the older generation.

It seems that young people are accustomed to a good and carefree life. They do not want tax increases and wage freezes, although they are willing to sacrifice tourist trips and Western products. At the same time, young people look to the future quite confidently.

Basically, they believe that our country will develop more or less successfully. And here there is a difference with mature age categories, which are not always so optimistic.

Overall, nothing surprising. Man is such a creature – he quickly gets used to good things. And he is not always ready to live by common victories. But the corresponding work is underway. The state has taken into account the mistakes of the past – in recent years, insufficient attention has been paid to educating young people in the spirit of traditional values. So a year or two will pass, and you’ll see the result will change in percentage terms. Not all at once. Of course, there is a danger that they will withdraw into themselves, become isolated, and apathy and collective nihilism will increase.

Youth policy is, of course, not an easy thing. Although we see that proper forums are held periodically, and new youth organizations are created like the “Movement of the First,” about which, by the way, nothing much has been heard. However, an individual approach is important. And as you know, we’re not very good with this. So there are certain problems.

And it’s even more difficult with reforms, which, as we see, are still in demand, even in the face of external encroachment on sovereignty and independence. And in terms of the fight against corruption, there is clearly still room for improvement. There are many unresolved problems in the country, and young people do not always like this.

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