Addressing the works of V.V. Petukhov, dedicated to the study of public opinion dynamics, including on issues of political self-determination, the author examines the impact of changes in the socio-economic and political situation on the preferences of Russians. In current sociological data, the author finds confirmation of the ideas of V.V. Petukhov about consistent attempts at ideological self-determination of Russians, despite the constant impact on society of crisis events of various origins, social turbulence and limited opportunities for political representation.

Although the request of Russian society in the 1990s for democratic reforms was replaced in the 2000s by skepticism about the applicability of Western models of development, key democratic principles remained socially significant: the lifting of the ban on public criticism of senior officials, the expansion of publicity and freedom of speech, the elimination of censorship, the democratisation of elections, etc. The focus of many Russians on private problems by the time of election campaigns in 2019-2021 was replaced by a growing interest in political participation and ideological self-determination, and in 2021 about a third of citizens could clearly define their own ideological and political views.

If the limited possibilities of party-political representation in the 2000–2010s stimulated public demand for ideological self-determination, then the categories of identity circulating in the official discourse gave many people a reason to think about their meanings, and even change their own ideas. This happened with the category “Russian”, the content of which has become clearer over the past few years, and the subtle components of identity have lost popularity. The idea that Russians are all those who honestly work for the benefit of Russia has ceased to be popular. The proportion of those who agree with the most popular logic of interpreting Russian identity, that suggests that a Russian is one who grew up and was brought up in the traditions of Russian culture, has slightly decreased, while the popularity of defining Russian identity through the native Russian language, Russian origin and self-determination after 2014 increased. It is possible that the search for meaningful attributes of Russian identity, coinciding in the view of many with Russian civil identity, along with support for the ideas of national diversity, is an attempt by Russian society to “assemble” a new social consensus and search for the foundations of a new national mythology.

youth, activism, identity, social solidarity, national mythology

1. Antonovskiy A. Yu. Evolutionary approach to the development of science.  Epistemologiya i filosofiya nauki, 2017: 52: 2: 201–214 (in Russ.).
2. Byzov L. G. Conservative Trend in Modern Russian Society - The Origins, Contents And Prospects. Obshchestvennye Nauki i Sovremennost, 2015: 4 : 25–49 (in Russ.).
3. Wallerstein I. Posle liberalizma [After Liberalism]. Moscow, Editorial URSS, 2003: 256 (in Russ.).
4. Kazun A. D. “Rally around the Flag” Effect. How and Why Support of the Authorities Grows During International Conflictsand Tragedies? Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya, 2017: 1: 136–146. DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2017.01.12 (in Russ.).
5. Сlément К. Patriotizm snizu. «Kak Takoye Vozmozhno, Chtoby Lyudi Zhili Tak Bedno v Bogatoy Strane?» [Patriotism From Below. "How is it Possible for People to Live so Poorly in a Rich Country?"]. Moscow, Novoye literaturnoye obozreniye, 2021: 232 (in Russ.).
6. Levada Yu. A. Chelovek nedovol'nyy: protest i terpeniye [The Discontented Man: Protest and Patience]. Monitoring obshhestvennogo mnenija: ekonomicheskie i social'nye peremeny, 1999: 6(44): 7–13 (in Russ.).
7. Petukhov V. V., Barash R. E. Russkiye i "Russkiy mir": istoricheskiy kontekst i sovremennoye prochteniye [The Russians and the «Russian World»: the historical context and the contemporary interpretation]. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya, 2014: 6: 83–10 (in Russ.).
8. Petukhov V. V. Readiness of Russians to Uphold their Socio-Economic Rights in the "New Crisis Reality". Sotsiologicheskiye issledovaniya, 2016: 11: 86–96 (in Russ.).
9. Petukhov V. V. Civic participation in modern Russia: the interaction of political and social practices. Sotsiologicheskiye issledovaniya, 2019: 12: 3–14 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.31857/S013216250007743-0
10. Petukhov V. V. Demokratiya uchastiya i politicheskaya transformatsiya Rossii [Democracy of participation and political transformation of Russia] Moscow, Academia, 2007: 176 (in Russ.).
11. Petukhov V. V. Dynamics of the Social Attitudes of the Russia’s Citizens and Making of a Public Demand for Change. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya, 2018: 11: 40–53 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.31857/S013216250002784-5
12. Petukhov V. V. Ideological and Political Preferences of the Russians: Changing of the Discourse. Sociologicheskaja nauka i social'najapraktika. 2020: 8: 4: 25–43 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.19181/ snsp.2020.8.4.7654
13. Petukhov V. V. Crisis Reality and the Possibility of Political Transformation of Russian society. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya, 2016: 5: 8–24 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2016.05.02
14. Petukhov V. V. Russian Youth and Its Role in Society Transformation. Monitoring obshchestvennogo mneniya: ekonomicheskiye i sotsial'nyye peremeny, 2020: 3: 119–138 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.14515/ monitoring.2020.3.1621
15. Petukhov V. V. Evolyutsiya predstavleniy rossiyan o demokratii: ot mechty do zaprosa na rabotayushchiye instituty [The evolution of Russians' ideas about democracy: from a dream to a request for working institutions]. Rossiya reformiruyushchayasya [Reforming Russia]. Ed. by M.K. Gorshkov. Moscow, Novyy khronograf, 2012: 11: 264–288 (in Russ.).
16. Petukhov V. V., Petukhov R. V. Request for Change: Factors and Causes of its Actualization, Key Components, and Potential Carriers. Polis. Politicheskie issledovaniya, 2019: 5: 119–133 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2019.05.09
17. Petukhov V. V., Petukhov R. V. Socially active groups of Russian society: forming a demand for democratic participation. Vestnik instituta sotziologii, 2021: 12: 1: 16–38 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.19181/vis.2021.12.1.697
18. Petukhov V. V., Barash R. E., Sedova N. N., Petukhov R. V. Grazhdanskiy Aktivizm v Rossii: Motivatsiya, Tsennosti i Formy Uchastiya [Civil Activism in Russia: Motivation, Values and Forms of Participation] Vlast’, 2014: 22: 9: 11–19 (in Russ.).
19. Politika Apolitichnykh: Grazhdanskie Dvizheniia v Rossii 2011–2013 Godov [Politics of Apolitical: Civil Movements in Russia 2011–2013]. Ed. by S. Erpyleva, A. Magun. Moscow, NLO, 2014: 480 (in Russ.).
20. Sursanova Yu. V. Representation of Everyday Nationalism Practices on “Russia 1” TV Channel”. Ars Administrandi, 2021: 13: 1: 31–48 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.17072/2218-9173-2021-1-31-48
21. Filatov V. P., Kasavin I. T., Antonovsky A. Yu., Ruzavin L. I. Obsuzhdaem statyi o konstruktivizme [Discussing Articles about Constructivism]. Epistemologiya i filosofiya nauki, 2009:  20:  2:  142‒156 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.5840/eps200920268
22. Hosking G. Praviteli i Zhertvy. Russkiye v Sovetskom Soyuze [Rulers and Victims : the Russians in the Soviet Union]. Moscow, NLO. 2012: 543 (in Russ.).
23. Bertens L. M. F. Doing’ memory: performativity and cultural memory. In Cardiff J., Bures G. Miller’s Alter Bahnhof Video Walk. Holocaust Studies, 2020: 26: 2: 181–197.
24. Fox J. E., Ginderachter M. Introduction: Everyday nationalism's evidence problem. Nations and Nationalism, 2018: 24: 3: 546–552. DOI: 10.1111/nana.12418
25. Goode J. P., Stroup D. R. Everyday Nationalism: Constructivism for the Masses. Social Science Quarterly, 2015: 96: 3: 717–739. DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12188.
26. Knott E. Everyday Nationalism: A Review of the Literature. Studies on National Movements, 2015: 3: 1–6.
27. Pipes R. Flight from Freedom: What Russians Think and Want. Foreign Affairs, 2004: 83: 3: 9–15. DOI: 10.2307/20033971
28. Preisendörfer P., Wolter F. Who Is Telling the Truth? A Validation Study on Determinants of Response Behavior in Surveys. Public Opinion Quarterly, 2014: 78: 1: 126–146. DOI: 10.1093/poq/nft079
29. Rather D., Kirschner E. What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2017: 304.
30. Smith S. B. Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes. New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 2021: 256.