Sociocultural orientations of students of the Belgorod region with non-traditional religiosity (sociological experience)
Authors:   Institute for Demographic Research, a separate subdivision of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science, Federal Research Sociological Center, Russian Academy of Sciences (IDI FNSC RAS), Lyutenko Irina V. 
Published: July 2023

The relevance of studying the phenomenon of new (non-traditional) reli- gions and mystical teachings is due to changes in the religious landscape, which must be studied using new methodological developments of non-traditional religiosity. The article presents the results of the sociological research “How Belgorod Region Lives”, carried out by the Department of Ethno-demographic, Religious and Integration Pro- cesses of the RAS FNIC. The object of the research is students studying at four insti- tutions of higher education in Belgorod. The article is focused on the possible impact of the worldview foundations of non-traditional religiosity on some socio-cultural at- titudes of the students of the Belgorod region. To determine the level of non-traditional religiosity, we used a methodology based on methodological and methodical principles that allowed us to identify groups of respondents with non-traditional religiosity. The “practicing” and “non-practicing” typological groups were selected based on the re- sulting indicators of religious consciousness and religious behavior. The resulting in- dicator of religious consciousness consists of the following indicators: non-traditional religious beliefs, interest in non-traditional religions and teachings, and motivation for interest in non-traditional and mystical teachings. The resulting indicator of religious behavior: involvement in the vital activities of the practices of non-traditional religious teachings, awareness of the activities of non-traditional religions and mystical teach- ings, involvement in the vital activities of the practices of these religions and teachings. The group of interested in non-traditional religious teachings comprises 40% of the youth surveyed. Of these, 32% are “practitioners” and 68% are “non-practitioners”. The micro-environment influences attitudes towards religion, nationalities, faiths, mi- gration, etc. The “practicing” youth have significantly more acquaintances, relatives, and friends who study or practice these teachings compared to the “non-practicing” youth (30% and 10%, respectively). It should be noted that young people included in the practice of non-traditional, Eastern religions and teachings have a deeper motiva- tion of interest in these religious teachings, according to all key indicators. The results of the empirical analysis showed the impact of the respondent's non-traditional religi- osity on some religious, national, ethno-confessional, and migration orientations. It was revealed that in relation to religious organizations of traditional confessions, “practitioners” are more skeptical compared to “non-practitioners”. The “practition- ers” are more negative in their evaluations of the Russian Orthodox Church and Mus- lim communities, and they note the “clericalization” of public relations more than the “non-practitioners” group. In the sphere of national relations in the typological group “practitioners”, the level of tolerance towards ethno-confessional marriages is slightly higher than in the group of “non-practitioners”. In both groups the majority of respond- ents have a positive attitude towards representatives of other nationalities. The data recorded that almost half of the respondents expressed a desire to move to other regions of Russia. At the same time, a third of Belgorod residents in the groups “practicing” and “non-practicing” plan to leave the region for good. The reasons for migration in both groups are mainly of a professional nature: career growth and improvement of the quality of professional activity. Young people in the “practitioners” group are more motivated to move by all indicators compared to the “non-practitioners”. The interest in non-traditional, Eastern religions and mystical teachings among young people in Belgorod is significant, but at the same time has little effect on their life activities, as 40% are interested in these religious teachings, of which only 5% are fully included in the practices of these teachings.