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Dynamics of mass consciousness of Russians:
extraordinary situation or beginning of a new cycle?

Latov Yu.V.,

Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia, latov@mail.ru

elibrary_id: 152966 | ORCID: 0000-0001-7566-4192 | RESEARCHER_ID: P-7344-2016

Article received: 2023.07.24. Accepted: 2023.09.20


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2023.06.12
EDN: QFXDBY

Rubric: Russia today

For citation:

Latov Yu.V. Dynamics of mass consciousness of Russians: extraordinary situation or beginning of a new cycle? – Polis. Political Studies. 2023. No. 6. P. 161-179. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2023.06.12. EDN: QFXDBY

The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 20-18-00505) at the Federal Research Sociological Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Abstract

Based on the results of the all-Russian sociological survey based on a representative sample, conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Federal Scientific Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in June 2023 and compared with previous surveys of the 2010-2020s. the extent to which the mass consciousness of modern Russians meets the objective requirements of national mobilization development is considered. The dynamics of indicators of mass consciousness that characterize citizens’ assessments of the situation in the country (including, in particular, assessments of social tension), as well as the compliance of this situation with their normative expectations (for example, assessments of Russia’s development path, a request for change) is analyzed. It is concluded that, in comparison with the survey data in March 2022, almost all the indicators considered have improved. It is legitimate to consider the current situation as a phase of a new cycle of changes in social well-being, which is largely similar to the previous cycle of 2014-2016/2017. The question was raised about the alternation of long (4-6 years) cyclical periods associated with shock events, and intermediate short “calm” periods as the main form of the dynamics of the mass consciousness of Russians in the conditions of modern mobilization development.

Keywords

mobilization development, mass consciousness, crisis, social tension, request for change, loyalty, opposition, image of the future, medium-term cyclicality.

 Full Text

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