MIGRATION PROCESSES IN THE CHUVASH REPUBLIC: TRENDS, PROBLEMS
Authors: Kharitonova Valentina G. 
Published: October 2023

Migration processes in Russia and its regions at the present stage are an urgent object of study by specialists in the humanities due to their scale and consequences associated with the demographic development of the country. Regional historiography also focused on the aspects of migration situation related to population decline. The scientific novelty of the study consists in a comprehensive historical analysis of the migration situation in the Chuvash Republic in 2001–2020, which makes it possible to identify the features and conditional periods of migration in the region.

The purpose of the research is to study the processes, scales and models of migration behavior of Chuvashia’s population, taking into account socio–demographic parameters, to identify trends and problems. Migration of the population is considered in connection with the processes of ethno-cultural development and the state of interethnic relations. Attention is paid to the study of the population’s attitude to migration and migrants.

Materials and methods. The main sources of the study were statistical and archival data, official documents, the results of sociological surveys, media materials. The dynamics of the population’s attitude to migration processes is based on the results of sociological surveys of the Republic’s population, which have a monitoring nature. Migration of the population was assessed using statistical data analysis, the method of mass questioning was used in sociological surveys. Migration processes are characterized taking into account historical-comparative and problem methods.

Study results. A number of factors affecting migration processes and changing migration behavior of the population have been identified in the region. The main ones remain socio-economic factors, changes in the ethno-cultural image of society. Social aspects are relevant and come to the forefront in the issues of integration of migrants and their interaction in the host community. The migration situation in the republic is quite complicated: a migration decline in the population is observed. Intensive temporary migrations of the Republic’s population result in pronounced social consequences in the context of the socio-demographic development of the Republic and its society. Young people show the most active readiness for migration. Among the trends in interethnic relations that cause certain wariness, a restrained attitude towards migrants should be noted, which manifests itself over a long period of time.

Conclusions. Migration processes of the Republic’s population have both positive and negative consequences. Most residents of Chuvashia perceive migrants as potentially dangerous, firstly, from the point of view of increased competition in the labor market, and secondly, as people with their own traditions and customs who do not really respect local ethno-cultural characteristics. The issues of migration loss of the population, the tendency of a significant outflow of the working population from the Republic remain relevant. But in general, the population of Chuvashia is quite friendly to various contacts with representatives of other ethnic groups, Chuvashia is a region with stable and favorable interethnic relations.