CITIZENSHIP IN THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIO-POLITICAL ORIENTATIONS OF RUSSIAN YOUTH: PLACE AND ROLE IN STATEHOOD STRENGTHENING
Authors: K. Vikulov Aleksandr , V. Plotnikova Tatiana , V. Shevchenko Larisa , L. Shtofer Lyudmila , A. Spektor Lyudmila 
Published: October 2019

Purpose of the study: In this study, we analyze citizenship in the structure of socio-political orientations of Russian youth and explore the youth role in strengthening statehood and formation of civil society institutions. The development of active citizenship values in sociopolitical orientations of Russian youth is determined by the need to change relations between the state and society. The citizens shall develop civic responsibility and civil initiatives and control the institutions of power.

Methodology: The theory of social anomie and the concept of socio-cultural crisis serve the methodological basis for this study. This theory explores the eclectic nature of citizenship ideas in the youth environment. The civilizational approach makes it possible to investigate features of citizenship idea and practice information of Western European and Russian cultural traditions. All that is methodologically significant in tracking citizenship specificity of the Russian youth. The integrated approach becomes a conceptual one in this study as it treats the citizenship of Russian youth as a complex multi-component phenomenon. This phenomenon includes moral, legal and socio-political attitudes reflecting the various aspects of relations in the "man-society-state" system.

Results: We conclude that in the citizenship of Russian youth there dominate two main attitudes: liberal and paternalistic. In the liberal aspect, the young people consider citizenship to be awareness of their civil rights and responsibilities, a kind of rational and active behavior corresponding to democratic political system. Paternalistic attitudes are manifested in loyalty to the state. Paternalists consider the state to be the political institution that is solely responsible for the present and future of the young people.

Applications of this study: The results allow us to understand the significance of citizenship as an ethic-legal quality of personality that strengthens Russian statehood and the importance of agreement (contract) between government and society. The results discovered the need for the citizens to be engaged in solving the state's socially significant problems. The state shall also develop a favorable institutional environment for civil socialization and self-realization of the young people.

Novelty/Originality of this study: The eclectic nature of Russian youth citizenship points at hindering factors in the development of active and responsible citizenship as the youth ability to self-organize and solve socially significant problems. The main factors hindering the process of civil activity formation among the young people are the stable etatist-paternalistic traditions of political culture and institutions of Russian civil society. Although, development of youth citizenship is a well-managed process. It requires the youth policy to be the stimulating and guiding force. This force is necessary to solve the problems of legal personality type formation. Such a personality is characterized by politically and socially active civic-mindedness.